Tales of the Oppressed: Redux
by Terran34
Summary: A bitter young man is torn from the world he knows due to the machinations of the dark King Sombra. Knowing nothing else other than his own cynicism and the loss of his one true friend, he is forced to confront the very cynical beliefs with which he's struggled all his life due to his interactions with the ponies we all know and love. This is a rewrite of the original story.
1. The Things I've Lost

Rainier State University. That's the name given to the large collection of modernized buildings set at the base of Rainier mountain, the massive natural phenomenon that gave the college its name. It doesn't sound like much from an outsider's perspective, but it was the pride of the city of Grenville. Set in the southern portion of the United States, it was a city renowned for its technological production. As such, the city's ability to produce well rounded graduates capable of furthering this trade allowed it to rise over its competitors, eventually becoming one of the top contenders in the country.

The school itself was relatively small compared to the more prestigious colleges up north, possessing only a few thousand students. Compared to the median range of 15,000 students, it only barely classified as a medium size school. Despite that, it's a well to do school with a focus on computer science and engineering. Because of that, graduates from this particular college usually don't have much trouble landing a job.

The students there generally know one another due to the smaller number of students, as well as the large community of students that live on campus. As a result, the general atmosphere of the college is generally friendly and "homey," as described by some commuters. Due to that, the community is tight-knit, and people tend to recognize one another easily. This includes myself, much to my general annoyance.

I'm sitting in my third class of the day, which happens to be foreign language. Today is Wednesday, so that means I've been in class ever since I woke up this morning. It's grueling to rush from class to class with hardly any time to rest in between, but I actually prefer it this way. I would rather have all of my classes for the semester all at once, and then I can use the rest of the week to square the rest of my schoolwork away.

This class, however, is the most grueling of the lot. I don't say that because it's hard, because it really isn't. Foreign language requires simple memorization, which really isn't that hard for your average college student. I'm good at memorizing, so this class is really easy for me. However, if I'm not challenged in class, I get bored easily, causing me to resort to other methods of keeping myself entertained.

I recline back in my chair, letting out a sigh and stretching out my cramped limbs. Sitting on your ass all day tends to take a toll on your body. In truth, I'd much rather get some of my homework done from other classes, or even sleep, but neither of those are possible for me right now.

Essentially, we have a professor that actually cares whether or not you're paying attention. It's a damn hassle, and I always get irritated whenever I'm called on to answer a question...like right now. Of course, I'm stretching, so she thinks I'm not paying attention. She likes to punish students like that by asking them a rather difficult question. However, I know the answer, because this class is easy for me.

I answer back to her in a short, clipped tone, my timbre that of a jaded baritone. My answer is right of course, so I get some small satisfaction from the disappointed look on the professor's face. Seriously, she should just stop. This is college, not high school. It should be our decision whether or not we're good students.

My head rests on my fist, which coincidentally allows my shoulder length black hair to fall down in front of my face. I sigh and move it away from my greenish eyes so I can keep staring at the board. I know most of this material, but it's better to be safe in case the professor actually decides to move on to something I actually haven't memorized yet.

The other people in the class are a general mix of men and women of various years, but their names escape my mind. I don't think I ever bother to learn the names of my classmates in any of my classes. I mean, why would I? People everywhere are the same, and here is no different. They're the usual types who would rather spend their time gossiping and participating in useless drama rather than focus on being productive. Even now, I can hear two men behind me snickering and exchanging some joke while the professor can't see them. I don't envy them their fate when the next test comes around.

My iPhone buzzes in my pocket, much to my surprise. I fish it out and glance at it, disregarding the fact that I'm in class. Apart from my family, there's only one other person I bother to hang out with, because she's the only one that I consider a friend. So that doesn't leave a lot of possibilities for who could be messaging me right now.

Sure enough, it's from my only friend, Amaryllis. Her name's a mouthful, so some people call her Amy for short, but I never do. Her name is very unique and original, as I've never heard anyone else with a name like that.

It's a short message. _"Are you in class?"_ is all it says. My lips curve into a tiny smile, which only she or my brother can cause. She's so cute in that she never shortens or abbreviates her words like most people tend to do while text messaging. Not a single "lol" or even a "brb." She types out every word meticulously and consistently.

 _"Not for long,"_ I send back, understanding the meaning of her message without even needing to ask for clarification. Amaryllis is usually very blunt and to the point, so if she's asking me a question like this, it means she got out of class early and wants to meet up with me. Of course, she'd never say it like that.

Generally I don't have time to hang out with her on Wednesdays, because of my packed schedule. Despite the fact that class isn't yet over, I decide to make an exception, as I hardly see her enough anyway. She's always busy with her schoolwork, class, or boxing, which is a huge interest of hers.

With that decided, I stand up from my desk and grab my messenger bag, slinging it over my shoulder once everything's all packed up. I push my way through the aisle to the front of the room, earning annoyed scoffs and murmurs from the other students that I jostle on the way up.

As expected, the professor isn't happy about me leaving. I get a rather irritated stare from her as I pass by her, but I ignore it. This is college, and it's my choice whether or not I stay until the end of class. Besides, I'm acing this class by a huge margin, so a few missed minutes won't matter in the long run.

It isn't long before I leave the English building behind. Amaryllis is already waiting for me outside. We exchanged schedules at one point, so she generally knows where I am at certain points of the day, and vice versa.

The English building has a concrete awning hanging above the entrance, supported by multiple stone pillars. Amaryllis is resting against one of these, one slender muscled leg curled over the other. She's not even looking at the doors, instead engrossed in yet another book. However, as always, she knows when I'm approaching.

"Took you long enough," Amaryllis commented in annoyance, snapping the book closed and replacing it in her own bag. She finally looks up at me, her typical ice cold expression locked on her face. She's as beautiful as always, though no one would ever dare say that to her face. She can be just as nasty as I can, if not more...something I know from experience. Her most defining characteristic, like mine, is her hair. It's a glittering crimson, and it cascades down her back like a waterfall, dangling just below her waist. It wows me every time I see it. She tells me she spends more time on it than its worth, but I can tell she really likes it. "I thought you were gonna keep me waiting all day."

"I was considering it, if only to see how pissed off you'd get," I return, equally as rude. Amaryllis scoffs and falls into step beside me as I walk right past her without waiting. I don't have that long before my next class, so we're heading there together.

"Whatever," Amaryllis grunts, not even bothering to argue with that statement. After that, there's a silence between us, but it's not awkward. Our friendship isn't exactly the most normal, so things that would usually be awkward in another friendship are comfortable for us. Eventually, she looks at me with her ice blue eyes. "How were your tests? You said you had two today."

"The first one was fine, but the second one was ridiculous," I snap in irritation. I've had two back to back tests this morning, just before my foreign language class. Suffice to say, my brain's a little fried. I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep during my last class. "I studied the textbook like nobody's business, but I still saw material on that test I've never seen before."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to just study the textbook in his class?" Amaryllis criticizes me harshly, causing me to wince. "That professor loves his stupid oral lectures, so the tests usually have material from them."

"Yeah, can you not patronize me right now? There's not much I can do about it now," I retort back, groaning. She's right; she did warn me at the beginning of the semester to actually pay attention to the guy, but his voice is just so dry it puts me right to sleep. In response, Amaryllis

"What do you want me to do? Pat you on the back and say, 'oh, you poor baby?'" Amaryllis returns sarcastically, speaking that last bit in a poor imitation of my mother's voice. I give a scowl at that.

"Screw you, Amaryllis," I groan.

"Only in your dreams, Seth," Amaryllis shoots back without missing a beat.

"Pah."

Yeah, this is typically how we act when we're hanging out together. It's pretty abnormal for your usual friendship, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. She's the only one I can act myself around. Practically every word out of our mouths is an insult to the other, yet we couldn't be better friends.

Soon, the science building comes into view, just across the street from the parking lot we're walking through now. Well, I say science building, but really it's a building where classes from a mixture of mathematics, sciences, and computers are housed.

Amaryllis and I stop at the crosswalk, watching for any passing cars. Sure enough, the crazy ass bus driver that always drives through here zips past at a high speed, causing wind to whip through our hair. The two of us watch him go, irritated. That guy always does this. If there's people at the bus stop, he keeps going that same speed, slamming on his brakes at the last possible second. This habit of his is well known, leading to the driver being known as an adrenaline junkie.

After crossing the street, the two of us make for the small park situated just in front of and to the left of the science building. I still have a little bit of time until my next class, so the both of us immediately move to what we consider to be "our spot." It's not much of a park. In reality, it's more like a bunch of trees with a small clearing in the center, where there's a single swinging bench. Nobody really comes to this area...though that's mostly because they know we'd be here.

"Anything interesting happen to you today?" I ask my only friend, sitting beside her on the swinging bench. "You know, besides 'annoying shit' and 'screw people.'"

"Well, there goes my summation of the day," Amaryllis retorts with a bit of a smirk. Of course it was. Those two responses are usually her go to phrases for whenever I ask her about her day. "Nah, though something actually did happen. Remember Sam?"

Immediately my mood drops at the mention of that name. Sam. Short for Samson. Basically he's a guy that had the balls to ask out the ice queen Amaryllis herself on a date. She accepted at first though, just because she was curious to see what he was willing to do to try and impress her. Even thinking about the guy pisses me off, because he was a piece of shit that thought he could "tame" her. Besides, I don't like the idea of anybody else spending time with her. Nobody is even close to being good enough for her.

"What about him?" I answer tersely, hoping that she doesn't say that she's going out with him again. Especially not after what he tried to pull last time.

"I caught him outside the dining hall, telling everyone he slept with me," Amaryllis relates, causing me to become furious. The thought of finding the guy for myself and beating the shit out of him crosses my mind.

"Please tell me you didn't just take that," I express irritably. Amaryllis scoffs, as if her response should have been obvious.

"Of course not. He was all bark. I had him on the ground squealing for mercy in front of all of his stupid friends," she answers, and my spirits rise a little, cheered up by the thought of her teaching that slimeball a lesson. "Besides, I'm pretty sure everybody else knew he was full of shit."

"Good. Otherwise I might have taught him a lesson myself," I grunt, though I'm feeling much better now. Amaryllis gives me a rather surprised look. Of course, that quickly turns into sarcasm.

"Oh? Are you feeling protective of me? That's just so sweet, Seth," Amaryllis teases, amusing me to groan and scoff in derision.

"Not on your life, bitch. I just hate people like him who think they can 'conquer' women," I retort.

"Uh huh," Amaryllis quips, her eyebrow raised. I look down, feeling my face heat up a little from her scrutinizing gaze. We soon fall into another comfortable silence after that. The bench gently rocks as Amaryllis's feet push against the ground.

It doesn't last very long before my phone starts to ring, breaking the silence while at the same time, promising a hated interruption of my rare time with Amaryllis. Knowing immediately who it is by the ringtone, I quickly answer it, giving an apologetic look to Amaryllis. My friend just shrugs and pulls out her book. "What do you want, mom?" I demand in annoyance. I hear a chuckle from the other end of the line.

 _"Nice to hear from you too, Seth,"_ my mother, Elaine Rogers, responds in a dry tone. _"If you can tear yourself away from Amaryllis for one second, you might interested to know that your uncle's company is offering you an internship down in Chile."_

As annoyed as I am by her interruption, that bit of news causes me to pause and respond with interest. "Wait, seriously? All the way down in Chile?" I respond. Beside me, Amaryllis looks up from her book, raising an eyebrow in interest. "I'd have to take a summer off to do that. Is it worth it?"

" _I'd say it is. They're offering to pay you well. Plus, if you do well, the job's pretty much yours once you graduate,"_ Elaine answers. Huh, that does sound good. However, if I'm going to fly down to Chile, I'll need to work that into my school schedule. Technically I can afford to take a summer off if I tack a few more hours onto my spring semester. It'll be rough going, but I'm sure I can do it. Hard work has never been a problem for me before.

"Hell, if I'm being paid for it, tell them yes," I reply, resigning myself to a hard spring semester. Thankfully, that's a while from now. I'm still only in the middle of fall semester. I guess I'll worry about the hard stuff when I come to it.

 _"Oh, they'll be happy to hear that. I'm proud of the decision you're making,"_ Elaine responds, the happiness easily detectable in her voice. I roll my eyes at that. I just did what made sense. There's nothing to be proud of.

"That's great. So can I go now? I was a little busy before you interrupted," I say in a tired sounding voice. If I let her talk any further, she'll start asking about my day and other typical mom stuff, and I'm just not in the mood for it. You'd think she'd know by now not to bug me, but she never stops trying.

 _"Yes, you can go. Make sure you remember to actually go to class,"_ Elaine admonishes me. She then proceeds to talk in a slightly louder voice. _"Amy, do try not to keep him too long."_

"I'll keep him as long as I want, thanks," Amaryllis retorts without even looking up from her book. Elaine's response is to chuckle in my ear. "God knows without somebody to whip him into shape, he'll never do anything."

 _"Ha! I hear that!"_ Elaine agrees, much to my annoyance.

"Okay, do you two mind? I'm hanging up now," I grunt in irritation. The last thing I hear before I hit the end call button on the phone is the sound of my mother laughing. "Remind me never to let you two in the same room together whenever I'm around."

"Oh, I'm sorry if the truth gets on your nerves, princess," Amaryllis quips, putting her book away now that I'm off of the phone. I slip the device into my pocket, even as I look over at Amaryllis's smirking expression. "By the way, there's a sale on pretty pink dresses over at the nearby Kohl's, if you're interested."

"I...I'm just...I'm going to kill you," I groan in the most exasperated way possible. Amaryllis's musical laughter fills the air, which in turn causes me to give a small smile despite myself. Nobody else at this school is like she is. She's literally the only one I don't utterly hate out of everyone that goes here. She feels the same as I do too, which is why we're each other's only friend.

Once Amaryllis composes herself, she gives me a curious expression. "So what, you're apparently going to Chile now?" She asks. Once again I wonder why the hell my phone's speaker is so loud that she can hear my conversations. When I nod, she scoffs. "Well, have fun with that. All they eat down there is meat, as far as I've heard."

"Damn, I'll go insane if I can't get a decent salad," I complain, rubbing my forehead. That just gets Amaryllis to chuckle.

Finally, I glance at my phone and check the time. Much to my disappointment, it's time for me to get moving. If I want to get to class on time, I have to go now. "Well, I should probably get moving. There's not much time left before my class starts." Amaryllis shrugs and stands up, stretching out her arms and legs. As I start towards the science building, I notice she's following me. "What, are you coming with me?"

"Do I look like I'm going anywhere?" Amaryllis retorts as if it's no big deal. I shrug and keep walking, inwardly pleased. "Just to the door though. I have other things to do today besides babysit you."

"Please, you couldn't babysit even if you were being paid for it. You and children? Recipe for disaster," I snipe at her, grinning at my change to mess with her some too. Hilariously enough, Amaryllis doesn't protest and just gives a nod of agreement after thinking about it.

After leaving the park, it isn't long before we rejoin the throng of students moving to and from their classes. Because this building has a large amount of classrooms, it's generally one of the busiest. Because of that, it's pretty difficult to get from place to place...unless you're Amaryllis and I.

Those that know us move quickly out of our way. Those that don't...well...we pretty much shove them out of our way, having little patience for the slow moving students that are too busy checking their phone or some shit to walk at a reasonable pace. Yeah, we're assholes, but we don't care. I'm not going to slow down just because some person might find me rude.

Once we reach the entrance to the building, we come to a short halt, because this is where we're going to part ways. I turn to face Amaryllis with a rueful expression. I hardly get to see her during the week, so I don't really want her to go.

"I guess I'll see you later," I tell her regretfully. Amaryllis nods in understand. She looks uncomfortable for some reason. She appears to be hesitating about something. Before I can figure out what that is, however, she steps forward and gives me a hug, her slender arms slipping beneath mine and snaking up my back.

I'm so shocked by this, I don't even react for a good second, before I realize that she probably wants to be hugged back. I awkwardly reciprocate, but I'm tense as hell. Out of all the people that I've met, Amaryllis is the one I'd have pegged as least likely to try to hug me. She's more likely to break your spine rather than give you a hug. So how the hell do I respond to this? Oh yeah...the only way I know how.

"What's this? Is Amaryllis getting sentimental? I hope you're not getting soft on me," I comment with a devilish grin on my face. Amaryllis's immediate response is to shove me roughly against the wall, stepping away from me with a disgruntled expression.

"Oh, you are such an ass," Amaryllis complains, which only causes me to snicker at her expense. I bet she doesn't even really mean that.

"Yeah, hello? Have you met me?" I remark, waving a hand in front of her face. Amaryllis scoffs and walks back the other direction, towards the stream of students.

"Just go to class already so I can be rid of you," she shoots back. I watch her walk away with a warm smile. Just before I lose sight of her, she lifts up her hand and gives me a small wave without looking back. Heh, that's my friend for you.

Now that she's gone, any trace of good humor disappears, my smile dropping from my face. Now I'm surrounded by all of these people. Their loud voices are already getting on my nerves, so I take out my imported headphones and slide them over my ears. There. Now that I have some music playing, I can drown out the rest of the world for a few minutes.

I then walk through the double doors, pushing roughly past a guy who's trying to get out through the same door. The guy grumbles before disappearing into the crowd behind initial impact was an accident, but I don't agonize over it.

My class is on the second floor. There's an elevator on the bottom floor, but often I find it to be much slower than the stairs. Plus there's the chance of being in close proximity to people, so I'll take the stairs any time.

The stairs themselves are made of metal and concrete, and are colored a thick red. My feet tap on the smooth material as I push myself upstairs. On the walls, heating and cooling pipes for air conditioning and water are fastened, completely visible. In addition, multitudes of electrical wires snake across the pipes and open spaces. I guess that the school figured it would be too much money to bother hiding them, so the stairwell just looks permanently unfinished.

Turns out my hurry is mostly unnecessary. I arrive at my classroom five minutes early. As usual, the professor is nowhere to be seen. The guy's always late for his own class. Must be nice, knowing that you've got tenure and your life doesn't get screwed if you fail a test.

While this class is challenging, and I don't usually get bored in it, I actively hate my classmates. I sit between these two guys, and both of them drive me nuts. The guy on my left is your stereotypical jock, no doubt taking this class because it's a prerequisite for something else he wants to do. He always brings his girlfriend to class with him (she's not even part of this class either.) and proceeds to rant about sports to her every...damn...day. How one dimensional can you be?

The man on the other side of me is so annoying because he won't shut up. As in, whenever the professor asks a question, he'll answer it, whether or not it was rhetorical. If anybody else in the room asks a question, he'll try to answer it, even if it wasn't addressed to him. Some days I want to shut him up by shoving a sock down his throat.

Complaints aside, I should probably pay attention right about now. Wednesdays are the days when the professor lectures, in order to teach us all how the code works, rather than just how to use it. It's a necessary skill, I suppose, so I take my headphones off and follow along his lecture on my own laptop. I prefer my own hardware compared to the school's low end technology.

Just as class is starting to end, my phone buzzes in my pocket, alerting me to yet another text message. What, is it Amaryllis again? Hoping it is, I slip out my phone and check it...only to discover that it's my older brother, Adam.

Adam's a smart guy. He graduated from this same college a few years before me, and now has a job working in an electrical plant. He prefers to play sports and pursue other physical activities for his hobby, but he's using this engineering degree to help fund that hobby. That being said, I'm not really that close with the guy. I mean, I didn't even talk to him much until one day he walks in on me watching the anime Soul Eater.

So from then on, the two of us watch some anime or another whenever we're together. It's practically the only thing we have in common, due to his interest in sports. Therefore, he's probably texting me about something anime related.

Sure enough, this is the message I get. _"Hey bro, check this out. Eureka 7. There are literally robots on hoverboards. We gotta do it!"_ My brow slowly raises up to my hairline, both from my brother's over-excitement and from the description of the newest anime he wants to watch with me. I've never heard of that one. I guess it can't be more ridiculous than the ending of Guren Lagann. Though it was awesome, once I suspended my disbelief in a black hole somewhere.

Class soon comes to an end, the professor wrapping up his lecture with the vague promise of a study guide later. Oh great, so that means I have yet another test coming up. Whatever, I can think about that later. I stand up from my desk and replace my headphones just in time to drown out the guy next to me as he calls out a goodbye to me. He does that every single class.

That aside, I should probably respond to my brother. Because he lives an hour or so from campus, we have to plan a time when we can both get together. We made a promise never to watch new animes without one another, so we generally meet up once every two weeks to binge watch.

I'm walking down the stairs, walking on the right side so that people can pass me on my left. I'm trying to type a response to my brother, so I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going. It's not really that big of a deal though. I've walked up and down these stairs so many times I...hold on, what is that green glow?

Right in the middle of my thought, I run into the broad shoulder of a man standing near the bottom of the stairs at full speed. The man grunts and unbalances, his body spinning around from the impact of my body on his shoulder. His hands press lightly on my chest for a second, and then he and I both tumble down the rest of the stairs. I thrust out my forearm to absorb some of the impact, but that doesn't stop it from hurting.

"Really!?" I yell out in irritation, pushing myself to my feet. The man had fallen right on his back in front of me, but he too is standing back up. I take off my headphones and glare at the man in front of me...but then any tirade I may have been cooking up dies in my throat as I get a good look at him. "Who the hell...?"

The man towers over me by at least a head. With the positioning of the lights behind him, he casts a dark shadow over me. His skin is ashen gray and completely smooth in complexion, to the point where it looks almost creepy. He possesses a square jaw and handsomely sculpted features. His face is framed by carefully trimmed sideburns, but the rest of his hair is long and wild, strewn back over his shoulders and held there by what looks like...a crown?

It's true. He's wearing an elegant circlet made from a polished metal that I can't identify, with archaic looking runes engraved into the band. The centerpiece of the crown is this strange red gem that seems almost like it's pulsing.

Getting more and more weirded out the more I look at him, I look down to see that he's wearing a tight fitting black suit, reinforced with steel plate metal. And not the fake stuff either...that's actually real steel the likes that you'd see in a medieval museum. To top it all off, there's a long red cape attached to his neck by an ornate gem, the edges decorated with white fur.

Nobody that I've ever seen wears something like this. The kind of material I'm seeing looks authentic and not at all cheesy, like most costumes do. What's...what's going on? Who is this guy? What is this uneasiness I'm feeling?

The man's eyes shoot open, revealing them to be a vivid red. He transfixes me with an angry glare, to the point where I step back, starting to feel a little intimidated. He growls, revealing a set of sharpened white teeth that wouldn't look out of place on a carnivore, serving to freak me out even more.

In the blink of an eye, his gauntleted hand is at my throat, causing me to cough and choke as my airway is suddenly restricted. Seemingly without effort, the man lifts me right into the air. My mind races and my legs kick at the air. My hands reach up and pull at his grip pathetically, my vision starting to narrow as he squeezes me harder and harder.

With an enraged grunt, the man hurls me right back up the stairs into the foyer with a simple flick of his wrist. My vision blurs as my surroundings pass by me in a flash, and before I know it, my back is exploding with pain as I collide with the railing. A cry of agony leaves my throat, and then seconds later I'm coughing, my lungs sucking in air as fast as I possibly can.

My heart jumps in my throat when I hear him slowly walking up the stairs, his metal boots resounding off of the concrete surface. I take off my bag and set it aside, standing up to face him. This man just tried to kill me...all for running into him. What is going on? Where are all the other students? Should I run?

A student actually steps out into the stairwell just as I'm trying to determine what to do next. He starts to walk down the stairs as usual, but then he catches sight of the man in front of me. His face soon exhibits the same confusion that I'm feeling, but it doesn't last long. The armored man transfixes the student with an intense stare, filled with so much intimidation and authority that the student actually runs back to the second level, wanting nothing to do with this situation.

Just as I'm trying to slip around him, the man's gaze snaps back to me, and he looks furious. "That spell was not meant for thee!" the man roars, his deep bass voice echoing ominously throughout the stairwell. I back away from him, pressing myself into the railing, utterly confused. Spell? What is he talking about? What does that have to do with me running into him? "Dost thou understand how much time is needed to prepare such a spell? Thou shalt pay dearly for crossing me!"

"What are you even talking about? All I did was run into you, so why are you so angry?" I demand, finally finding my voice. Nothing he just said makes any kind of sense, so now confusion is mingling with the anger and fear that I feel. The man remains silent, approaching me steadily. I lift my hands, hoping that if he tries to attack me again, I can try to do something. I'm starting to regret not asking Amaryllis to teach me any of her boxing techniques.

"That spell...was not meant for thee," the man repeats calmly, his teeth gritting together. The way he says that makes it seem like he expects me to understand, but I still have no idea.

"That doesn't make any sense! What spell? Who even are you!?" I shoot right back. The man shakes his head slowly and raises a fist. A strange green glow starts to leak out from between his fingers, confusing me even further.

"I hath no patience for meddlers..." he starts to say, but then he pauses, looking at me oddly. He emits a low hum, as if noticing something for the first time. He lowers his hand, and the glow disappears. "Intriguing. Perhaps 'tis not a total loss."

The man starts to walk in a slow circle around me, looking me up and down as if sizing me up. He focuses especially on my face, as if trying to memorize my features. Whatever he's doing, I'm really creeped out right now. I just want to get as far away from this strange man as I possibly can.

"What are you doing?" I try to ask, but the man doesn't respond, continuing to size me up. Hoping that this is a chance to leave, I try to move.

"Remain still," the man commands me. I blink in surprise, but that surprise quickly turns to irritation and impatience.

"Like hell. I'm leaving, and there's nothing you can do to..." In the middle of my statement, the man's eyes narrow, and then I swear I feel an intense pressure in the air, surrounding me and oppressing me. It feels like I've been wrapped in a blanket weighing over a hundred pounds. I can't move, no matter how hard I try. Finally, as sweat starts to bead on my forehead, the pressure disappears, and I'm left free and terrified. "How...how did you...?"

At last, the man appears to have seen enough. His stern expression changes, and he gives a satisfied smile, which looks plain unsettling with those pointed teeth of his. "Indeed. Thou shalt do just fine," he decides. Hr turns the other direction and descends the stairs, his cape fluttering in the air behind him in the process. As he gets further away from me, the fear I'm feeling starts to become replaced by utter confusion and anger.

"What? What the hell? You're just gonna show up, beat me half to death, and then leave? Who the hell are you!?" I shout after him incredulously. The man doesn't even pause in his stride, opening the door at the bottom of the stairs and disappearing from view. "Hey!"

I have to sit down, disoriented and completely at a loss for words. I have so many questions that I can't even begin to answer. I'd have just thought he was a crazy guy cosplayer with too much money, but that strength I felt...enough to toss a nearly full grown man like myself several meters up through the air...that was real. My back and neck still ache from the beating he gave me.

"Hey, I heard you yelling," another student steps out of the second floor hallway, looking with concern down at me. I recognize him as one of the guys in my foreign language class. "You all right down there, Seth?"

"I didn't ask for your help," I snap back at him. The edge in my voice as well as the callousness of my words causes the student to look at me in disbelief. He then scoffs and leaves me behind, angered by my rudeness.

I can't bring myself to move. I'm still trying to make sense of what happened. All sorts of possible explanations for his nature pass through my mind and are just as quickly disregarded. Deprived of any other solution, I start to ramble to myself. "No, it was probably just some guy who wanted to stay in character too much. It's not that hard to get some gray makeup for your skin, or contacts for the eyes," I reason senselessly "That strength...no, he probably just works out, and it's just so great because I don't...yes, everything's normal...I.."

There's nothing for it. I need to talk to someone. And there's only one person I know will listen to me seriously right now. I fumble with my phone, almost dropping it in the process. I quickly dial the number and hold the phone to my ear.

 _"Seth? You do know I'm in class right now, right? I literally went to the bathroom to talk to you,"_ Amaryllis's annoyed voice sounds over the speakers, and I give a relieved sigh.

"Yeah...yeah I do...sorry...," I reply, stammering a little. Amaryllis notices something wrong in my tone, because the next thing she says is in a softer, more serious voice that she only ever uses with me.

 _"What happened? You usually don't call me sounding like a troubled toddler,"_ Amaryllis questions. Despite her quip, I can tell that she's worried now.

"I have no idea what just fucking happened. I...I don't know what to think," I admit to her, hating how it makes me sound. However, I'm just happy she's here now, even if it's only over the phone.

 _"Okay. Calm down, and start over from the beginning,"_ Amaryllis replies calmly and patiently. Gone are her insults and sarcastic remarks, which I'm grateful for. I do as she told me, breathing deeply until my heart rate returns to normal.

I tell her everything I can about the strange man, starting with how I ran into him, and then moving on to a physical description. I include the way he spoke, his unreal strength, and even the strange green glow I saw right before meeting him, and then in his hand. Amaryllis remains quiet for the whole thing, no doubt reserving judgment until I'm finished.

As I talk, I start to feel something strange in the pit of my stomach. It's difficult to describe, but it feels like something is buzzing inside of me, trickling through my veins to the furthest reaches of my body. I start to breathe harder, and I quickly finish up my summation of the previous events. What is happening to me?

 _"Seth, I'm not gonna lie, but this all sounds a little fantastic,"_ Amaryllis admits, much to my horror. And here I thought she would... _"But I've known you long enough to know you wouldn't make up crap like this. I'm cutting class now. Can you meet me in front of the science building?"_

"Hell yes, I'm done with this whole situation. I'll meet you outside in...whoa..." I cut off, because the feeling in my stomach is getting worse, to the point where I'm starting to feel nauseous and a little drowsy. My legs wobble and feel like giving out, to the point where I have to steady myself on the railing.

 _"Seth? What is it? What's the problem?"_ Amaryllis asks sharply. It takes me a little while to respond, because now I'm starting to feel light headed, and it's getting even harder and harder to maintain coherent thought.

"I feel...really weird..." is all I manage to get out before the dizziness gets too much to bear. I collapse to the floor, barely registering the pain from the fall. My phone falls from my hand and lands on the floor just in front of me with a clatter.

 _"Seth! What's going on? Are you there? Shit...hang on, I'm coming!"_ I vaguely hear Amaryllis yell over the phone as my senses dull. I can't think...I can't move...and I can't keep my eyes open. Despite my efforts to maintain hold of myself, my consciousness slowly slips away, until I'm clouded in darkness.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

It came to my attention that despite the fact that I was replacing the chapters in the original version, there would be no way for those who read only on this site to know about the rewrites. Therefore, because rewritten stories aren't against the rules on this site opposed to Fimfiction, I decided to create a separate version for the rewritten Tales of the Oppressed. I have six chapters ready and rewritten that I'll start posting on a weekly basis. After that, I'll post them as I get them.

As for what I changed from the original, it's similar to what it was, but I went through and improved on the flow and the description, and made Seth into more of a well defined character instead of just a cursing mess. I also improved on the relationship between him and Amaryllis, such that his random declaration of love for her in chapter 2 doesn't seem...well, random.

The other thing I wanted to focus on was to show that Seth was cynical BEFORE his race died, because a lot of readers assume that he became the way he was because of the loss of his family and friend. I also stressed that Amaryllis was his only friend.

Lastly, I also removed every major mention of him indicating that what you're reading is his journal, because that idea didn't pan out and I ended up abandoning it in the end. I cut off the new chapter one just after he lost consciousness. I then bumped the rest into chapter 2, which will be posted later.

Most importantly, I dropped the rating to T, as there was really nothing M-worthy about the previous except for the stupid amount of cursing (which is one the things I'm cutting back on), and even now, a few curse words here and there won't justify a rating increase. T also allows for the odd sexual joke here and there, which is as far as I ever went in the original.

Please, leave a review and let me know if you think it's better than the original!


	2. The End of Humanity

Rather than all at once, Consciousness returns to me a little at a time. The first thing I become aware of is the cold floor pressing against my cheek. The chill seeps through my clothes and causes me to shiver. My eyes blink several times as I return to consciousness.

A groan leaves me when feeling returns to my limbs. There's a dull pain permeating throughout my whole body, such that I start to wonder if I'd been run over by a truck. I try to move, but my muscles feel stiff, making even that extremely difficult. I close my eyes and remain still in an attempt to give my body time to wake up.

I try to remember what exactly I was doing last night that caused me to wake up in such a miserable state. I don't drink, so I can't have done anything too stupid...unless Amaryllis had spiked my drink with something. I wouldn't put it past her to do so for a prank. Before I start to go down that line of thought, I remember with a start exactly what had happened before I passed out.

Against my better judgment, I lurch upright, forcing my body into a sitting position. Immediately my body screams in protest. I let out a curse and clamp my hand around the nearest solid object to keep me upright. "Ah...bad idea..." I grunt. Once I'm sitting up straight, I look around to get a sense of my surroundings.

At first it's too dark to see anything, so I trace my hands around. I feel a cold, dusty floor beneath my fingertips. There are bits of what feel like rock scattered about as well. The grime sticks to my fingers, causing me to brush them together in distaste. This is confusing; wherever I am is filthy, and I can't come up with any reason why I would be here. I collapsed in the science building, so wouldn't someone have picked me up by then?

When my eyes adjust to the darkness, I can make a vague outline of my surroundings. I can make out the stairwell in which I collapsed, but not much else beyond its outline. That doesn't make any sense...for it to be this dark, they would have had to shut down the building for the night. I can't believe that nobody would have noticed me lying here.

I cast my hand around in the darkness, and eventually my fingers come into contact with my phone. A quick click later, and the screen comes to life. I shield my eyes at first so that the sudden contrast in the level of light doesn't blind me. With the new source of light, I get a better look at the area I'm sitting in. No, this is definitely the science building stairwell.

Bitterness overcomes me as I jump to the first available conclusion. Did everyone really just walk right on by me, leaving me collapsed in the middle of the school? Did no one even think to lift a hand to help me, when I might have been hurt? Why the hell did nobody try to help me when I've been lying here for hours!? Are people really that spiteful and cruel?

I need to call Amaryllis. I left her at quite an inopportune moment, so no doubt she's worried sick about me. That leads me to my next discovery; upon trying to access my contact list on the phone, I notice that in place of the signal strength indicator are the words "no service."

"No service...?" I whisper to myself, as if reaffirming that I was actually seeing this correctly. Why wouldn't my phone have service? I have a decent plan and plenty of data, as well as a notable provider that's not known for having that many dead zones. Actually, that in and of itself doesn't make sense, because I've never been denied service in this building before. My brow wrinkles with frustration upon realizing that my phone is practically useless. "Just great...useless ass cell phone."

It appears I'm on my own until I get back outside. Gripping the railing of the stairwell, I painstakingly force myself to my feet. As my weight is redistributed on the platform, the metal creaks and groans. Then, I stretch out my limbs in an attempt to alleviate the stiffness I'm feeling, but it's slow going. It feels like I haven't used my muscles for days.

Grasping my phone, I turn on the flashlight on the back of the device. With it, I get a better look at what's around me. The first thing I notice is the debris lying all over the place. I can see shards of metal, bits of concrete, and strips of plastic littering the platform and stairs. To top it all off, a fine layer of dust coats every visible surface.

Casting the beam around the stairwell reveals a bewildering sight. The place appears ancient and decrepit everywhere I look. The water and heating pipes that covered the walls appeared rusted and filthy, and there are even sections where the pipes themselves are missing. In fact, I even see one of them lying on the floor down a level from me. The electrical wires that usually convey power to and from the different levels are frayed and torn, yet none of them appear to be live. Come to think of it, I don't even think I hear the constant hum of the air conditioning in the background. There's nothing but complete silence...a silence so oppressive that I feel as though the air is pressing down around my skin.

"What the hell?" My voice echoes in the empty stairwell. I'm starting to get the feeling that something is very wrong. My heartbeat quickens and puts me on edge, even though there's no sign of any exterior threat. The only conclusion I can arrive at is that the building must have lost power...but even as sensible as that sounds, it doesn't explain the mess, or why everything appears so old. In fact...it was almost as if everything had aged by at least a hundred years.

"Come on, that's ridiculous. This has to be some kind of prank," I surmise, as the alternative conclusion was so far out there that that it wasn't even worth considering. If it really was a prank, I intend to give the perpetrator a piece of my mind as soon as I get out of here.

I guess there's nothing I can really do except leave. Once I get outside, I'll find the nearest person and make them tell me just what was going on. Then I'll go back to my dorm and see if I can't get cell service long enough to call Amaryllis.

Now that I have a plan of action, my confidence rises. I lift my computer bag off of the ground and sling it over my shoulder. Then, keeping my phone out in front of me, I start to descend the stairs. The metal construct groans beneath the weight, causing my heart to pound in my chest. I quicken my pace.

I don't get more than a few steps before the staircase shudders. With a colossal crash, the metal gives way before my feet, unable to withstand my weight. A cry tears loose from my throat as the ground disappears beneath me and sends me plummeting. Acting on reflex, I shoot out my hands and grasp onto the nearest surface. The staircase completely collapses below, the metal disintegrating upon itself, unable to even sustain its own weight. The impact sends of a cloud of dust and concrete, causing me to cough and choke.

Thanks to my quick save, I am hanging from the edge of the steps close to the foyer. Looking down, I notice that it's a three meter drop, which could be very nasty if I fell. To add to the danger, the debris from the shattered staircase littered the bottom, making it a very hazardous drop. I'm not going to risk that. Clenching the ledge tightly, I heft my computer bag up and onto the foyer, hoping that it would make it easier to pull myself up.

Just as I start to do so, the steps to which I'm clinging bends downwards with a screech of metal. My eyes widen and I try to shoot out a hand to a more sturdy area, but doing so only causes the force of my weight to be focused entirely on the other hand. "Oh shi..." the curse hardly leaves my mouth before the metal tears itself loose and sends me hurtling to the floor three meters below.

Just before I hit the ground, I hear a tearing sound, and then a line of white hot agony shoots across my right side. I slam into the floor and bounce, causing pain to explode throughout my entire body. A helpless moan of pain escapes me as I lie there and attempt to catch my breath.

"How the hell...?" I groan. The staircase has completely given way and is in pieces, the remains surrounding me. This is getting to be too much for me. Those stairs were made of concrete and metal, and were designed with structural integrity in mind. They wouldn't just break like that. None of this is making any sense to me.

My side feels as though it's on fire. Doing my best to ignore the pain, I reach over and press my hand against my side. I immediately recoil my hand, a burning pain erupting at the simple touch. To my horror, my hand comes away wet with blood. "Oh...that's not good," I utter weakly.

Acting quickly, I inspect the damage to my skin, using a free hand to hold my phone above the wound. I inhale with a worried hiss after seeing the thin gash that's oozing with my blood. I'm no doctor, but it doesn't look that deep. Even so, I can't just leave it alone.

My shirt was torn from whatever injured me, so I finish tearing off a thin strip of cloth long enough to encompass my ribs. I tie it around the wound and fasten it tight with a double knot, gritting my teeth against the pain. I don't know if I'm doing this right, but it's better than nothing.

Now I have two reasons to get out of here. I wipe the blood left on my hand on my shirt as best I can, no doubt staining the material irreparably. I get to my feet and grasp my phone with my clean hand, using it to light the way forward. I should be on the first level, where there's several exits out onto campus. It won't be long before I can get some answers.

I take a look around in an attempt to determine what injured me, but when the source isn't apparent among the metallic debris, I decide to move on. Thank my lucky stars that I had my tetanus shots recently, otherwise I would have been doomed to a very painful death. My computer bag is still up on the foyer, but it's too high for me to get back up to it, so I make the difficult decision to leave it. Once I get out of here and find out what the hell is going on, I'll come back for it with some help.

With every step, my side twinges painfully, making it very difficult to put all of my weight on that side of my body. I adjust my gait and limp towards the door that exits out onto the first floor classroom hallway.

The doors that separate the classroom hallways from the stairwells are made of solid metal several inches thick, and are present on each floor. They had no windows on them, so it was always impossible to tell if someone was on the other side trying to get through. I remember always getting annoyed when the door would open in my face, nearly hitting me.

As the light from my phone illuminates the doorway, I'm shocked to find that the door for this floor is missing. A glance around the frame reveals damaged hinges with rusted screws still hanging from the holes. When I take a step forward to get a closer look, my foot lands upon something metallic.

Angling the light down reveals the remains of the door, which is now rusted and degrading. The metal has been dented heavily and rent with gashes, as though something from the hallway had forced its way through.

I start to breathe faster, a sense of panic threatening to overtake me. I have no earthly idea what's going on. My only theories don't make any logical sense, and everything I see just makes things more confusing. I need to get out of here. It's all I can think about. I need to get out and find someone. Find Amaryllis. I need her to tell me what to think about all of this.

Looking out into the hallway, I notice that this entire floor seems to be in the same state as the stairwell. The building is completely abandoned and covered in dust and debris. If I didn't know better, I'd say that I am the first human to inhabit this place in a long, long time.

Fallen ceiling tiles litter the floor ahead as I turn to the right and limp down the hallway. There's an exit at the end of this hall...if I can just get out and get in contact with someone, I'll be safe. I'll be able to get some help.

I notice power cords hanging from the ceiling where the tiles have fallen, completely inert and devoid of any power at all. The classrooms themselves are in equally bad shape; some of the doors have been blocked off from the other side by boards and nails, while others were lying on the floor in the middle of the hallway, shattered to pieces by an unknown force.

Ahead, there are rusty metal tables and chairs turned on their sides and lashed together with decaying rope to make makeshift barricades. If that had been the case, they hadn't been effective; there was a massive hole in the center of the barricade where tables had been rent in half and chairs had been shattered. Looking down, I notice cylindrical objects scattered about the base of the barricades. They look almost like...

"S-Shell casings?" My voice comes out as a high pitched squeak, lacking any sense of dignity. Everything up to now I've been doing my best to ignore, but...these are empty shell casings. This tells me that beyond the shadow of a doubt, there had been a firefight here. "How...but when..."

If these were all shell casings, then these tables really were barricades, and there had been a battle here. Just what in the hell happened while I was unconscious? I desperately search my mind for possible explanations and theories, but I'm coming up completely blank. While there are these casings, there no sign of the weapons that fired them, or any bodies to suggest the outcome of the battle, if there really had been a battle. This is way beyond a simple prank at this point.

I let out a cry and push forward, the exit only a few feet away from me. I extend my hands and push against the door handle...only for the door to remain stubbornly shut. I don't even stop to think about why this could be. I shut my eyes and try again, using as much strength as I can muster given my injury. It's only when dirt spills in from the top of the door frame that I actually look to see what's blocking the door.

Through the window and on the other side of the door is a solid wall of earth and rock. Thick tree roots trace through the dirt, and I can even see what looks like the den of a small animal, although its inhabitant was not currently present.

I take a step back, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. I'm completely speechless. Every defense and placating reassurance that I've been repeating to myself this whole time are rendered completely useless. My jaw falls open and I take another few steps back, unable to form a coherent thought to describe what I was seeing.

I let out a scream and back away from the door, falling on my butt in the process. Unwilling to stop, I back myself into the corner made between the barricade and the wall and curl up with my knees pressed against my chest. I can't believe this is happening. I'm underground. The building is underground. How can it be underground? This is impossible. What's happening? Where's Amaryllis? I just want to go home.

I can't bring myself to move. No, I don't want to move. This can't be real. I can't be underground. This building is situated atop a hill at a higher elevation than the rest of campus. There wasn't even the possibility of a flood, much less a landslide. If...if this building is underground...then that means that the rest of campus is...oh god, I'm not making myself feel any better.

Eventually I come to the conclusion that this has to be real. I can still feel the waves of stinging pain emanating from the gash in my side. If I focus on that, I can ground myself and remember where I am. I don't know what's happened. But I do know that I can't stay here. If I don't get some proper first aid, this injury could spell the end of me.

I slap myself a few times and get to my feet. I don't know what's going on, but I need to focus on a goal. Looking around with the light from my camera, I find that the building still looks as though it's been through an apocalypse. First things first...I need a goal. I have to get to safety and get this injury treated. I'll be okay; there's several exits to this building. I just have to find them and get out.

There's another exit back down the hallway, but it's likely buried as well, as it's lower in elevation than the rest of the building. Nevertheless, I feel the need to see for myself. Turning back down the hallway, I limp until I reach the end, where the hall opens up into a large study area that divides the math and science sections of the building.

To my left, there should have been a long glass wall that separated this section of the building from the science study area, which had access to the science labs and storage areas if you went all the way down. However, the glass had long since shattered, and now littered the floor of the study area on this side. Looking through it reveals the remains of the larger study area, where the tables and chairs had collapsed. The hanging televisions were shattered on the floor and looked as though they'd been scavenged for parts. I can't help but let out a whimpering sigh. Those television sets used to display the school news and tell us of upcoming events...and now they were destroyed, just like the rest of this building.

There's a set of metal stairs in the larger study area leading to the upper floors, but there's no way out up there as far as I remember. Even if there were, I'm not going to risk climbing those stairs to reach it; my side throbs painfully as a reminder of the dangers of such a course of action.

I move through the smaller study room towards the carpeted staircase that I had climbed not too long ago. It was from here that the majority of student traffic would enter the building and climb the stairs to reach the first level.

I don't trust these stairs. Rather than attempting to climb down, I approach the edge and gaze down, hoping that I can see the doors from here. Sure enough, there's no exit down there either. The multiple sets of double doors are now broken or missing; instead a huge wave of earth had cascaded through the entrance.

More than ever, I wish I knew what was happening. The observations that I've made so far aren't adding up in my head. So far all I have is that there was a battle, we're underground, and everything looks far older than it should be. There has to be something I'm missing that can connect those three theories together into a cohesive whole.

Putting those thoughts away, I focus back on finding a way out of here. Logically speaking, if we're underground and there's no way out down here, then going up is the only solution left to me. If I remember correctly, there's a roof access hatch on the top floor of this building; with luck, it'll lead me out onto the surface.

However, that plan comes with complications of its own. The stairwells are clearly too dangerous, so getting to the upper levels will be a problem. Glancing over to the side of the room opposite the hallway I came in from, I determine that the automatic doors are still standing, although busted. If the walls were still intact, those would bar my passage due to the power being out. There was a staircase over that way at the far end of the science wing, if I remember correctly...but who knows how stable that one will be.

"Come on, there _has_ to be a way up somehow," I assert, casting my gaze around the area. I let out a colorful string of curses underneath my breath at this whole situation. My side is still paining me; I need to clean it somehow before it gets infected.

My gaze falls upon the elevator situated just beyond the automatic doors. While there are stairs everywhere, this elevator was installed by order of the school administrators so that the handicapped could still reach the upper floors. Granted, you had lazy people use it all the time, but that was its intended purpose. If I'm lucky, there will be a maintenance ladder in the shaft that will help me get further up. It's a long shot, but right now, it might just be my salvation.

I step over the shattered glass walls and walk around the automatic doors until I'm standing in front of the elevator. The doors are shut and there's no power, so they won't open on their own. That means I have to do things manually. I check the bandage at my side to see how well it's doing. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to have soaked through yet, but I think it's only a matter of time.

I clip my phone to my belt such that the flashlight faces outwards, lighting up the path before me while leaving my hands free. Attempting to open the elevator doors with my hands hardly does anything, so I adjust my stance to give myself as much leverage as possible. With my fingers hooked into the tiny gap between the doors, I strain my shoulders, using as much strength as I can muster. The doors move very slowly, the rusty metal grinding along the floor.

Once the gap is large enough, I wedge my body between the doors and use my newfound leverage to get it the rest of the way open. I gasp and brace myself against the wall, my side throbbing from the exertion. This is not how I expected to be spending my evening.

"You've got to be fucking kidding," I groan upon seeing the elevator car just inside. Just my luck that the car would be parked on this floor in particular. I was hoping it would be on a higher floor so I could get a few floors up, but this is the worst case scenario.

I step inside the car and look around. If I recall correcting, all these elevators have an exit hatch in place in case of an emergency. If I'm lucky, there will be one in here. A few moments of searching later, and I discover the hatch on the roof of the elevator. Thank god...if it had been on the bottom, I'd have been out of options. I put on a grin and grasp the handle of the hatch and pull down...only to find that the hatch is locked. I heave an annoyed sigh; I just can't catch a break.

The hatch looks to be locked shut by a simple deadbolt, which has long since rusted. With a little force, I think I'll be able to bust my way through. The only issue is that the hatch is high up, leaving me without much leverage. I'm going to need to get creative.

The sides of the elevator car are lined with railings. After testing their durability with some of my weight, I use them to get up higher, bracing myself against the wall in the process. I can't help but notice the sound of the elevator car creaking. I gulp nervously, breaking out into a cold sweat. I need to get out of here fast.

Now that I'm up here, I give the hatch a good punch, making sure to hit with my knuckles to keep from breaking my hand. Unfortunately, the hatch resists the hit, but I can see that I had some effect. A few good hits later, and the deadbolt breaks to pieces, allowing the hatch to swing open.

With a leap, I grasp the edges of the square hole and pull myself up, straining my muscles as hard as I can. I do my best to ignore the pain and hoist myself out onto the top of the elevator car, where I can see the cables keeping it suspended.

As the creaking and groaning of metal intensifies, I look at the cables and notice with horror that they're nearly rusted through. I quickly spot the ladder on the edge of the shaft and make a running jump towards it, just as the cables snap with a horrendous screech and the elevator plummets down into the depths of the lower levels.

I reach out a hand and grab onto the nearest rung, but it snaps beneath my weight. Adrenaline surges through me as my hands scrabble against the wall, looking for something...anything to grab onto. I fall for several feet until my hands catch on a lower, more stable rung. Dust and bits of rock shower over me from the damaged wall above.

Moments later, I hear the elevator car land onto the bottom of the shaft far below with a tremendous crash, sending vibrations up through the walls. All I can do is hold myself still against the wall, breathing quickly and heavily. The adrenaline still surges through my body, causing my heart to feel as though it's beating against my rib cage. That was too close. A second later, and I'd be dead.

I close my eyes, trying not to let out the feelings of fear and hopeless I'm feeling. I've never had to face my mortality this close before...hell, I've never even had to think about dying...but I have to admit that there's a very real chance that I could die down here.

Once I catch my breath, I begin to climb the ladder. There's a long way to go until I reach the top and my body is aching all over, so I can't afford to remain in one place for too long. When I reach the gap in the ladder created by my desperate jump, I'm forced to balance on the lower rung and leap up to the next stable rung. It's not easy, and my limbs feel as though they're creaking with protest as I continue my slow progress upwards.

I stop a moment, clinging to the wall and panting heavily. I need to give my limbs a chance to rest; I feel as though they're on fire. I regret more than ever not taking Amaryllis up on her invitations to work out with her at the gym; that extra muscle would have come in real handy right about now.

Against my better judgment, I look down towards the bottom of the shaft. To my curiosity, I notice that the shaft extends past the first level, going even further down into the darkness. I wasn't aware this place had a basement level...or more than one, considering the depth of the shaft. There isn't a button for one in the elevator in the car.

As I look down in the darkness, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and stand up on end. I feel as though something is down there, staring back up at me. In the dead silence, I even start to think that I hear something whispering in the darkness.

No. Fuck this. Unsettled, I go back to climbing, anxious to get to the top of the shaft, where hopefully I'll be able to get onto the roof. Rung after rung after rung I climb, my limbs burning with every moment. Over time, I start to mutter under my breath, expressing my pain in the form of colorful curse words that would make anyone blush.

The seconds seem to blur together, making me feel as though I've been climbing this ladder for hours, even though I know it hasn't been more than a few minutes. Along the way, I pass the closed doors that exit out onto the second and third floors. There's no way I could get through them even if I wanted to, so I push forward, hoping beyond hope that I can find a way through into the fourth floor at the top.

I praise my lucky stars once the fourth door comes into view. The shaft doors are partially open...open wide enough for somebody as skinny as me to get through. The ledge leading out onto it is incredibly tiny; it's too small for me to stand on. I'll have to jump...and if I mess this up...I'm dead.

"Here goes," I whisper to psyche myself up. I force myself to ignore everything around me except for the door in front of me. There's no elevator shaft, no several story drop, and no chance of an untimely death from a fall. Just focus on the goal, Seth, or you'll never make it.

With a shout, I propel myself from the wall, stretching out my hands for the gap in the shaft doors ahead of me. I managed to get one leg through the door, but my head hits the side of the door, causing me to see stars and nearly fall over backwards, but I have the presence of mind to hook my arms through the gap and anchor myself. Holy...that's the third time today I've nearly died...this is crazy. I need to get out of here.

I stumble into the fourth floor, nursing the affected spot on my head. Goddammit, that hurt. Just by rubbing my head, I can already feel the forming lump. As much as it hurts, it's mostly an annoyance. It could have been much worse, so I guess I should be grateful I got away with just that.

This fourth floor hallway contains the offices of the various professors, administration, and other various faculty members that spend the majority of their time in this building. For example, the professor whose class I had attended right before meeting that strange armored man had his office right around...here. My hand scrapes off the dust on the brass nameplate beside one of the office doors to reveal the professor's name. It's barely legible due to rust, but it's definitely there.

The roof access should be at the end of this hallway at the top of the stairwell. However, I've never been to this portion of the building before. Combined with the fact that I've lost my bearings due to my long climb in the elevator shaft, and I'm not entirely sure which direction the stairwell is in.

There's another brass panel affixed to the wall in front of me. It's coated in dust, but brushing it away with my hands reveals directions, much to my good fortune. Hm, according to what I'm seeing, the top floor covers the entirety of the math and science wings, and as such the main stairwell should be in the center near where I am.

Before I leave, however, I notice that there's a security room on this floor, at the opposite end of the hallway. There are cameras all over the building, so it makes sense that there would be a central location from which to access to the footage in the case of emergencies. I hesitate, wondering if I should visit the room or not.

There's no power, so I doubt I'll get anything from visiting the room, but usually in important locations such as this, there tend to be backup generators in the case of catastrophic power failures. As one of the most important rooms in the entire building, there may be such a generator in the security room.

On the other hand, I'm running out of time and I should get out out of here as soon as I can for the sake of my own well-being. If I do that, however, I'll be missing out on the albeit very slim chance there is to find out what happened here, and why everything looks as ancient as it does.

"To hell with it," I eventually grunt and turn towards the direction of the security room. My search there may be fruitless, but it's at least worth a cursory look. The roof access isn't going anywhere, and I think I have time.

Immediately after turning the corner, I notice a lump of something I can't make out lying against the wall near the far end of the hall. It doesn't look like any other debris I've seen so far. It's not furniture; I can tell because the outline is too curved and irregular.

I squint my eyes and draw closer, curiosity getting the better of me. The light from my phone traces across the ground, revealing multiple bullet casings, as well as the first signs of a real struggle that I've seen. The floor is covered in dark stains from a source I can't identify. In addition, the carpeting is shredded and torn up all over the place. My breathing quickens once again at the implications of such a sight.

Once the light from my phone alights upon the large debris, I stop cold, my eyes widening. Lying on the ground, with its back braced against the wall, is a mummified human corpse.

Bile immediately rises in my throat and I gag, turning away from the grotesque sight and retching on the carpet nearby. There's been signs of battle all over the place, but never have I seen any actual bodies...maybe that's what's allowed me to keep continuing on in denial like this. Something huge happened when I was out, and I was unconscious long enough for a body to end up in this shape.

"Oh god," I choke, wiping my mouth. I can't get around it now. I've really been out for a very long time, though I can't seem to make sense of that conclusion. Even unconscious, the human body still needs nutrition, and if I've been out long enough for the building to end up in this shape, I would have withered away and died. Something I can't understand is happening and I don't even have a clue how to piece it all together.

I force myself to look back at the body. As horrible as it is, analyzing it is the only way I can get another clue to this mystery. The body won't hurt me now...but that doesn't mean it doesn't freak me out.

The body itself is clad in the ragged remains of a military outfit, judging from the faded camouflage design. This isn't just a police outfit...this was once a member of the full U.S. Armed Forces. There's an ammunition and utility belt wrapped around its waist, stocked fully with decrepit ammunition and other utilities. Whatever happened here, whoever this was must never have had a chance to reload his weapon.

Speaking of weapon, the corpse is holding a fully equipped military assault rifle. I'm no expert on guns, so I can't tell what model it is, nor do I particularly care. I reach out my hands and gingerly clasp the haft of the rifle in an attempt to take it from the corpse.

The corpse's dried out fingers are clenched tightly around the handle of the rifle. I shut my eyes and cringe as I tug against its death grip. I doubt this thing still works, but it seems sturdy enough to at least use as a makeshift club. Plus, it's a weapon; even if it doesn't work, it'll do wonders for my peace of mind.

With a sickening crack, the gun comes free. I stagger backwards and shudder. I've never touched a dead body before, and I've no intention to start now. I open my eyes and glance down at the gun, noticing that it's in relatively decent condition considering its age. It is abnormally cold and arid down here, so I'm guessing that contributed to the condition of this weapon. If this place really is fully underground, there must be a layer of rock or something over everything to keep any rainwater from getting down here.

I don't know how to use a gun. Apart from pointing and pulling the trigger that you learn from reading any basic book involving guns, I know absolutely nothing. If it still worked and I tried to use it, I'd likely hurt myself. However, I do know enough from reading and playing games what certain parts of the gun are. There's a magazine fitted into the weapon, though I don't know how much ammunition it has.

I'm getting really scared; battles need two sides to be in conflict by definition. If I assume that the U.S. Armed Forces was one side...then what was the other? First of all, what the hell was the fucking UAF doing here in the first place? It must have been a serious threat if they were called in to protect a college.

I've only seen hints of the other side. The dented doorways, the destroyed barricades, and the gouges scored into the carpet and doors...whatever they were fighting, it must have been bestial in nature...but that doesn't make any sense. We live near a nature reserve, yes, and there are dangerous animals such as bears there, but even if a bear or two were to come near campus (which they never do), the Wildlife Services would have been called in, not the UAF.

This is just getting more complicated with every clue I find. For every question I answer, more questions arise to which I just don't have the answers. This whole situation is impossible to begin with. There's no way I could have been unconscious long enough for the school to degrade to this degree. I would have died.

I shoulder my worries and advance towards the security room, carrying the rifle with me. Upon reaching the security room, the first thing I notice is that area around the door is damaged. The carpet is completely missing in an area around the door, and the fringes of the carpet that's still there are blackened, as if burnt. The bare floor is also scorched black.

The door to the security room is utterly destroyed, the shrapnel scattered over the inside of the room. That tells me that whatever broke it down did so from outside, likely with explosives. Or maybe those explosives were thrown after the door was broken. That has to be the case; from what I see from the mostly intact pieces of the door, there are more gashes, like claw marks.

I can't help it. I've come this far without panicking, but there's only so much I can take before I lose it. I start to hyperventilate, my chest heaving. I can't seem to get enough air, causing me to stumble against the frame of the door, a hand on my chest. If there was just someone else here with me, I would feel so much better. I'm strong enough to get by on my own, but...this is just not normal. I shouldn't have to face this by myself.

I calm myself down by taking several deep breaths, my vision flashing a few times as my body pulls in as much oxygen as it can. The air down here is choked with dust, so I cough violently several times to clear my airway. Okay, I think I'm okay now...or as close to okay as I can get. Come on, Seth, shape up. Something like this wouldn't phase Amaryllis. What would she do in this situation?

She would continue on. I can't stop here. I push into the small security room. Inside, there are a variety of security consoles arrayed against the wall. Some of the monitors are cracked and damaged, while others seem better preserved. If luck holds, some of these should work...though I guess that depends on how long I've been down here.

Much to my good fortune, there's what looks like a generator at the far side of the room, connected to the computers by way of thick cords. Judging by the state of the other cords in the building, I'd have thought that these would be damaged as well, but these look very well preserved. They don't look the same as the other cords; these appear more...advanced somehow. So does the generator, now that I think about it. Maybe that has something to do with why they're in better condition than everything else.

Glancing over the generator doesn't give me any more clues, but I do discover a power button, an intake port for fuel, and a hand crank at the bottom. So the fuel must be the primary source of power, and should fuel run out, there's a hand crank in the case of emergencies.

I tentatively hit the power button, but nothing happens. Figures. It's either out of gas, or the gas is too diluted to be of any use. Resigning myself, I get down on my knees and start to work the hand crank.

After a few seconds of cranking, the generator starts to hum and some of the indicator lights on top flicker to life. Hallelujah...some good luck at last. No doubt I have to crank this thing for several minutes until I can power those computers over there. I don't know how much power they draw, but it's probably a lot.

Eventually, some of the screens behind me sputter to life. Many of them are in bad shape and are flicking or corrupted by static. I keep cranking for another few minutes before I go to check out the monitors.

The first thing I notice is that I don't recognize the operating system. It looks similar to Windows like I'm used to, but the user interface is different. Like the generator and wires, it looks more advanced than Windows 7, which was what our school used.

There's no login screen, nor is there any sort of dialogue box asking me for authentication. The first screen I'm brought to is one that shows me a list of logged security footage. That's really strange. My college is strict on security protocols, and I'd imagine the UAF would be even more so. So was this battle that occurred really so dire that security protocols were completely bypassed?

Either way, I can access the footage, so I'd better act fast before the power I've accumulated runs out. My eyes move to the most recent video in the list, and then I stop cold. That date...that date doesn't make any sense. It's dated February 12th, 2083. I have to rub my eyes and look again, but that's definitely what I read. Okay, judging from the state of this place, that would make sense, but I'm here, and I _definitely_ haven't been in a coma for over 70 years. That's just impossible. I'd have died of malnutrition a long time ago.

But what if it wasn't a mistake? What if that was really the date? That would mean...that would mean...no, it's a mistake. It has to be. There has to be something else on here that can tell me what's really going on. I refuse to accept that I've been out for over 70 years. That's just too fantastic, even given everything I've seen so far.

I scroll down the list of videos until I come across one marked with an exclamation point.

 **02/27/2014 Southern Stairwell: Math Wing: Concerning Priority Alpha**

The 27th? I glance at my phone, noting that the date on the monitor matches the date on my phone. That's today, or it should be. All of this decay and destruction couldn't have happened in one day. Either way, that has to tell me something about what happened. Considering the military-esque label, the military must have found that day to be important.

There's no mouse, so I hesitantly tap on the file with my finger. The main monitor stutters, and then the video opens up on the screen, immediately starting to play. The stairwell in which I'd awoken is the first thing I see, only now it's exactly as I remember it, complete with students moving to and from their classes.

Then, I see myself walk on screen through the bottom door. Just as my past self does so, a circular icon appears around my body, complete with a line of text that labels me as "Priority Alpha." Wait, _I'm_ Priority Alpha? I'm confused. Just what happened that day that caused the military to take an interest in me of all people? Granted, my father was in the military, but nowhere near the rank necessary for me to become important.

The label follows me until I exit the stairwell onto the second floor, on my way to class. Then it disappears. Hm, this means I won't re-enter the stairwell for another hour. I look back down at the touch-pad and tap the fast-forward button, causing the video to speed up rapidly. I watch the time counter until it reaches the time when my class lets out, and then I let the video resume its normal speed.

The stairwell is now empty, as not many students have late classes. The bottom door opens, and in strides the tall armored man, looking every bit as terrifying as I remember. The man's gait is confident and he held himself like someone sure of his own authority, or self-importance. Now that I'm seeing him from here, his demeanor seems almost kingly.

Much to my surprise, another label appears atop the man, naming him as "King Sombra." That's his name? It has to be, there's no other explanation. However, that title confuses me. Was he really a king? I don't recall there being that many countries left with monarchies, and certainly none that wore that sort of attire.

King Sombra comes to a halt halfway up the stairs. His eyes flash, and to my shock, his corneas turn a bright green, and a trail of purple light emanates from the corner of his eyes. He raises his hands and a glowing emerald orb appears there from nothing, steadily growing in size until it reaches the size of a soccer ball.

What am I seeing? He just created something from nothing, though I have no idea exactly what it is he created. That's impossible. The very laws of physics dictate that you _can't_ create something from nothing, not even light. Everything comes from somewhere; that's why we have the laws for the conservation of matter and energy. So for him to do that...he's breaking every law that I've ever studied. The only thing I can call it...is magic.

I watch breathlessly as the video continues. Soon, my past self re-enters the stairwell and the label reappears. I was just walking down the stairs, listening to my music, unwittingly walking myself right into this inexplicable situation. If I'd have just known this would happen, I'd have used the other stairwell.

Just as I remember, my past self runs right into Sombra's shoulder, taking the king by surprise and spinning him right around, such that his hands...as well as the glowing orb he had been creating, go right onto my chest. It happens so fast that I have to rewind and watch it several times; the glowing green orb sinks right into my chest and disappears.

I immediately pause the video and look down at my chest and press my hands against it, but I can't find any evidence of any changes. There's nothing to indicate there's anything wrong with me at all. So then what exactly just happened to me? Was that orb the "spell" Sombra had been angry about losing?

If that's the case, then the only conclusion I can make is that he really had been using magic. Except everybody knows that magic doesn't exist. Magic, sorcery, wizardry, or whatever other names there are for such things are merely the creations of medieval humans that didn't understand how the world worked, and was later romanticized into popular fiction. But there's no other explanation for what Sombra had done; the evidence fits the hypothesis, as impossible as the hypothesis is.

This can't be happening. If I admit that King Sombra was really using magic, then not only will I have to admit that my preconceptions of the world are wrong, but also that the preconceptions of every scientist worthy of the name are also wrong, and that magic really does exist.

I press the play button again with a trembling finger. King Sombra is just as enraged as I remember, and I watch him manhandle my past self as though I weighed no more than a feather. For a human, Sombra appears impossibly strong. The amount of force necessary to throw a full grown man like me uphill over half a staircase and all the way to the back of the foyer (for a total of 2 and a half meters) while overcoming the force of gravity is ridiculous, yet Sombra does it on camera for me to see without expending any effort. I'm extremely lucky that he didn't break my back.

Eventually, Sombra leaves me behind just as inexplicably as he arrived, leaving me alone in the stairwell. My past self pulls out his phone and dials Amaryllis...this is it. I'm going to fall unconscious soon, and then I'll figure out exactly what happened.

Once I watch myself fall, I narrow my eyes and lean in to get a better look. The second after my past self loses consciousness, that same green glow from before appears right on his chest and flares brightly. I watch with disbelieving eyes as my body rises into the air, my limbs flopping around like a ragdoll. That glowing green light suddenly expands to encompass my entire body, and then it, me, and everything with a short radius of me completely winks out of existence.

As the video keeps playing, I look down at myself with shock. "What the hell did he do to me?" I question, running my hands over my chest. If I disappeared, where did I go? I awoke in the same place, so I can't have disappeared completely. Dammit, this doesn't answer anything! It just gives me even more questions that I can't answer!

Not long after my disappearance, I see Amaryllis running into the stairwell at her top speed. However, the video ends as she reaches the foyer. Despite not seeing anything else, I can't help but feel relieved. So the reason nobody found me was because they couldn't find me, and Amaryllis was damn quick on the scene. A feeling of warmth fills my chest as I realize just how much she must have been worried to run that fast to me. I need to get out of here and find her. I need to tell her just how much I appreciate her.

The computer soon dies from a lack of power, and the hum from the generator dies as well. However, I haven't seen enough. After checking over my wound and binding it with another strip of clothing, I return to the generator and return to cranking it back to life with a quiet determination. I need to see more. I need to understand more. I have too many questions that don't have answers, and it's driving me crazy.

This time, the generator makes a strange grinding and clunking sound as it powers up, making me rather anxious. No matter how advanced the craftsmanship, it's been a long time and the device is falling apart. I don't know how much longer it will last. By the time I finish cranking, the generator emits a shower of sparks, causing me to curse and back away. Nevermind, I think I have enough power.

When the computer comes back alive, I return to the console and click the first video on the list; the one dated in 2083. If anything will give me some answers, this one will. The video comes up on screen, and the speakers come to life, albeit with a great deal of crackling and static. The fact that they work at all is a miracle.

The video is of this own room. The first thing I notice are all the soldiers inside. These are definitely members of the UAF, dressed in full military body armor and armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons. Some seem to be setting up a barricade a few feet away from the door, as if attempting to keep something out. Others are tending or reloading their weapons. None of them are smiling; they all look as though death is staring them in the face, and they're cornered.

Standing in front of the camera is an elderly woman of around sixty or so years old, dressed in similar clothing with a combat shotgun resting against the console at her side. Her hair is a wispy blond, tied up in a bun on the back of her head to keep it from interfering with her vision. Her vivid green eyes stare directly at the camera, such that I start to feel uncomfortable, as if they're staring right at me.

Strangely enough, she seems familiar to me. She almost looks like she could be related to me due to her eye color, the shade of her hair, and the structure of her face, but that wouldn't make any sense...unless the date on this video really is right. My blood starts to run cold at the possibility.

When the video plays, the audio and video is corrupted. Every so often, the frame will pause momentarily and skip ahead, frustrating me. I have no doubt that I'm being robbed of potentially useful information every time this happens.

 _"This - final report of Acting-General Maka Rogers,"_ the woman states in a shaking, yet firm voice. In the background, I can hear the sounds of faint gunfire and yells. Whatever's going on has her shaken, but she doesn't look as though she's panicking. She looks almost as though she's resigned herself. _"Today's date is February 12, 2083."_

But...that name. From the moment I saw her, I thought she could be related to me, but that confirms it. Come to think of it, she looks very similar to my brother; she has his hair and eyes. But...that would mean...that this really is 2083...

Despite the video corruption, the realizations start to collapse upon me at once, and I finally start to connect the dots. My body starts to shake as I work through the clues I've found so far. After seeing the video with Sombra, I discovered that I disappeared due to an unknown force...and if this really is 2083, then the only way for me to survive such a long extended sleep is if I disappeared from 2014 entirely...putting me in the future. This hypothesis is so beyond the limitations of reality, but there's no other explanation that thoroughly fits all of the evidence that I've seen so far.

The video continues before I can finish thinking, causing me to suspend my thought process and keep watching.

 _"We've - merry chase, but their commander is shrewd - there's no way out now,"_ Maka reveals with a rueful smile. She looks rather proud of the effort she's put in, even though her words indicate she's in a hopeless situation. _"The Oppressed are here, and there's - against a force that renders all - heaviest of ammunition useless."_

 _"General! Our front line reports - out of HE rounds!"_ A soldier interrupts, running in from the hallway. His face and outfit are streaked with blood, and his expression is haggard, but filled with respect for the woman standing at the console.

Maka lets a small flicker of annoyance cross her face at being interrupted, but doesn't let it get to her. She immediately turns to the soldier and snaps out her orders. _"Bring them our reserves! When you run out, switch to normal rounds - concentrate your fire! Aim for the - their movement!"_

 _"Yes, ma'am!"_ the soldier salutes and rushes to do as he's told. It isn't long before he leaves the room carrying a box filled with the reserve ammunition.

Maka sighs and turns back to the console, looking tired. _"Listen closely. Our struggle has ended, and I leave this message - may find it,"_ she says to the computer. _"The one who has defeated the human race - King Sombra and possess untold power of an - that has rendered all of our defenses ineffective. He and his servants - ability to twist human flesh into grotesque quadruped forms - call the Oppressed, and can - this power remotely. Soldiers - no signs of corruption will change - warning, often within our defenses."_

Suddenly, several soldiers run in from the hallway and shut the door, locking it tightly. They immediately start to board it shut by grabbing wooden blanks from a stack nearby. The sound of hammering nails gets Maka's attention.

 _"Why are you here? What of the front lines - hallway?"_ Maka snaps out with alarm. Of the working soldiers turns and salutes, a grim expression on his face.

 _"Wasted or turned, general. We're...we're the only ones left..."_ the soldier answers, choking with despair. Maka's face falls, and a bitter smile crosses her face, as if she knew this was coming. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a strange stick, upon which a red button is blinking. Perhaps it's a detonator?

 _"I see. I suppose - only a matter of time,"_ Maka says with a sigh. Seeing that look on her face makes my heart hurt within my chest. I never knew her before today...but she's my family. I don't have proof, but I feel it. The way she carries herself, the expressions she makes...she's related to my brother somehow. Seeing her so resigned to death makes my eyes water with emotion.

 _"Soldiers!"_ Maka calls out to the soldiers situated throughout the room. Upon her shout, they all turn to face her. She gives them all a salute. _"It's been a ride, everyone. This end - regrettable, but I don't regret - time we've spent together."_

Maka lifts up her shotgun and loads with with multiple shells, preparing for battle. _"The preparations have been made, and our end approaches,"_ she states to them all. She turns to the soldier that had reported the deaths of the front line. _"Where is their commander, Grant?"_

 _"He's here, general. I saw him - numbers, leading from the back,"_ Grant responds, looking surprised at being addressed by his name without his rank.

Maka gives a grin. _"Then for better or worse, this invasion of theirs ends today,"_ she asserts with confidence. _"We may die, but we'll die knowing that we took the bastards -. Stand strong, men, and make yourselves proud!"_

The soldiers cheer loudly, saluting her with smiles on their faces. Immediately after that, the door leading to the hallway splinters as something heavy rams into it.

Maka returns to the console, her face grim. _"To whomever - message may reach, I give you one last - of advice. King Sombra has already returned to the future, but he did not come here - a goal. Our intelligence is limited, but it is clear he - objective. Whatever happens, you MUST not let him find - Alpha...my uncle. If he does..."_

Before she can finish her explanation, the door breaks down entirely, and a veritable swarm of twisted, grotesque...things that disturbingly resemble broken humans charge through the door like the coming of the tide, roaring and attacking anything in range.

Maka curses and pivots on her right heel, firing her shotgun towards the nearest monster, blowing its legs off. The first soldiers behind the barricade lift detonators and activate them. The hallway explodes with fire and shrapnel, blowing apart several of the Oppressed and slowing their advance.

 _"Grenades, now!"_ Maka commands her men, pulling the pin off a grenade of her own. Under her command, the remaining soldiers manage to deal significant damage to the front lines of the monsters, but soon...they run out of explosives. There's nothing they can do to stop the tide of death that approaches them.

I cover my mouth in horror, choking as I watch all of those brave soldiers die en masse. There's nothing they can do; the monsters soak up their bullets like sponges and swarm over them like water on rock, cutting through their body armor like butter and tearing them to bloody shreds.

Maka manages to deal serious damage to them with her heavy shotgun, but then...something happens. I hear a sickening crack, and Maka cries out in pain. Something inside of her shifts, forcing her to bend overShe bends over, and it seems like something inside of her is shifting, causing her immense pain. _"No... not me too..."_ Maka grunts, hardly able to stand. While this is happening, the Oppressed curiously ignore her and strike at the other soldiers instead.

 _"You won't have -...not before I take you - down!"_ Maka grunts. Several more cracks are heard, and she's forced down onto her knees. She lifts up the flashing button and mashes it with her thumb.

The video ends abruptly as power dies, but I don't want to see any more. My mental strength fails, and I stagger backwards until my back hits the wall. I slide to the ground and hug my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks. I let out a choking sob as realizations start to crash down upon me, the dots connecting to tell me exactly what happened.

King Sombra. That man came from the future with the power of magic on his side. I can't deny the existence of magic anymore...not after Maka confirmed it and I saw its use for myself. With his power he...twisted or destroyed humanity over the course of eight years. For some reason, I'm very important to him...and it has something to do with that spell he used on me, intentionally or not.

But...if I accept all of this...then...I have to accept that I'm in the future...and...the realization crashes down upon me, and my cries only intensify. My hands reach up to my hair and tear at the strands in my desperation.

If humanity is dead...then so is my family. My mother...Elaine...my father, Gerome...and my brother, Adam. It feels as a hole is physically being torn in my chest as I realize all of the things that I'll never get to do with them. I never told my family how much I really cared...all I ever did was yell at them, argue with them over stupid shit, and push them away.

All those late nights I spent with Adam, watching some silly anime he found on the internet...I'll never get to spend another night with him, nor argue over which character was stronger, nor go to another convention with him. All those times he stood by me, no matter what I said to him...and I can never tell him how much I appreciated that.

And...Amaryllis. This one really gets to me, causing me to yell out with furious despair and punch the ground, actually relishing the pain when the debris there cuts into my skin and draws blood. Compared to her loss...no amount of physical pain can ever compare. I don't believe in love...but I couldn't imagine a future in which she wasn't present. She was my closest friend...the only one that I could depend on.

"Goddammit, why!?" I yell helplessly at the ceiling. This isn't fair. In just a few short minutes, my entire life has come crashing down upon my head. Everyone...everyone I've ever cared about...is gone.

Even worse than that...something else clicks in my head. Maka Rogers. Acting General of the last defense of mankind. She was my family...family that I just now discovered that I had...and she's gone. She was Adam's daughter...she had to be. It's not just because they look similar; I knew from the moment I heard her name, whether I wanted to admit it or not, that she was his daughter. Adam named her Maka, after the main character of the first anime he and I ever watched together...the first time I ever let him share a part of my life.

"I'm so sorry...all of you..." I whisper. I can't do anything for them other than apologize...apologize that I couldn't have been there for any of them. I never got to tell any of them my true feelings...and as for Maka...I never even got a chance to know her...never got a chance to love her. Anger wells up within me at the injustice of this whole situation. "This just isn't fair!"

The urge to smash everything nearby comes to me, but I force myself to ignore it, instead taking out my anger and despair on myself, my nails digging into the skin of my arms and drawing blood. I won't let myself destroy what's left of mankind.

It's not fair. Why am I the only one to live through this catastrophe, while everyone else is dead? I don't even see the point in leaving here anymore. There's nothing out there for me...nowhere to go, nobody to see. There's just emptiness, a void that nothing in this world can fill. I sit down against the wall and sit there motionlessly, gazing with empty eyes at the floor.

I don't even know how long I sit there. It could have been hours, or even just a few minutes. At some point, however, a single thought enters my head. King Sombra. Maka said that he had returned to the future. That means that even though I don't know what will be outside when I go there...he'll be here.

With that realization comes a new resolve. If my family...if Amaryllis and everyone are all gone...then the only thing left for me is to find Sombra and kill him. I've never considered taking the life of another living thing before...but for that monster, I'll make an exception. Oh boy, will I make an exception. I'll make his end painful beyond painful, until he can feel the pain that I'm feeling right now.

I rise to my feet, grabbing the rifle from where I left it. I'm a mess; my side throbs, my head aches, and my arms sting from my own self-inflicted injuries. However, all of that pain feels as if it's sealed behind a wall in my mind. It's there, but it feels almost veiled. Or maybe it's because I've just stopped caring.

The moment I step towards the door, I hear something from the hallway. It sounds almost as if a horse is walking down the hallway, but instead of the clopping that I'd expect from hooves, it's making an odd clicking sound, followed by an extended scraping. Click-sccraaape. Click-sccraaape. The sounds are coming closer.

I freeze. That's the first sign of activity in this ruin ever since I woke up...yet I already know what it is. There's only one thing it can be. Maka spoke of taking them all down with her...which probably has something do with why this place is underground. It only stands to reason that there'd be at least one of those monsters still left.

Is this how I die? I don't see any way of getting out of this. The door is the only way out of the room, and every other door in this hallway is a dead end. I'm caught between the exit and the monster that's coming. My only weapon is the rifle at my side, and it probably doesn't even work.

There's nothing for it. I can't run and I can't hide. If I'm going to die, I'm going to face it like Maka did. I brazenly walk out into the hallway to get a look at the monster that's very likely going to kill me.

Just like I expected, there's one of the Oppressed ambling down the hall towards me. Even though I'm standing right here, it hasn't noticed me. This gives me enough time to get a good look at it.

The creature scraping towards me is an absolute mockery of a human being. If I didn't know it was once a human, I never would have come to that conclusion. It looks as though someone ripped the skin off of a living creature and wrapped it around the wire frame of a small horse, like a pony, and then sewed together the seams. The skin is too tight in some places, and too loose in others. What used to be the hands are now the forelegs, complete with twisted claws of enamel erupting from the fingertips large and sharp enough to rend flesh. Its mouth looks as though the jaw has been unhinged to make room for vicious teeth that never should be seen in a human mouth.

What's worse...is that I can tell who the Oppressed used to be. The creature's green eyes were now a milky and pale, no sign of life left in the once vibrant orbs. It's wizened blond hair hung by its sides in wisps, still tied up into a bun at the back. King Sombra hadn't just killed her...he ruined her.

I can't help it. A soft bitter chuckle escapes my lips. I raise a hand and rub my forehead, the chuckle turning into a full blown laugh that could have come from a psychopath. I can't help it; it's just ironically funny how life is turning out for me. It's as if some cosmic being chose me to be dealt the worst hand today. I'm in the future, the last of my kind, separated from everything I've ever known; I find that I have family that I never knew I had...only to find that very same family bringing to me the end that I've been narrowly avoiding ever since I woke up.

The remains of the once proud Acting-General Maka finally notices me, having heard my bitter laughing. The Oppressed opens its mouth and roars a twisted, horrible roar that's vaguely reminiscent of what used to be a woman. With the scraping of enamel claws on plaster, the creature breaks into an inhumanly fast run, charging towards with me with the intent to rip me asunder.

I don't move, the rifle hanging limply from my grasp. What does it matter if I die here? I've lost everything; my family, my friend, my future...what's my life in comparison to all of that? My only regret is that I won't get to take revenge upon King Sombra.

As I gaze at the charging Maka, I start to wonder whether or not she's still alive in there, watching helplessly from inside the confines of her ruined mind. The camera footage showed me very clearly, so she must know what I look like. I grow angry at the thought; even if that was the case, there's nothing I can do to help her now. She's gone...replaced by this rampaging beast.

Just as the creature comes within a few meters from me, my stance suddenly changes. I start to run, determination and adrenaline in equal measures running through my veins. I don't know where this willpower is coming from...but I will not die here...not by what should have been my beloved niece. If she is still alive in there, I'm not going to make her live with the knowledge that she killed her only remaining family.

Maka and I streak across the hallway towards one another. I lift the rifle, clenching it with both hands. As we meet in the center of the hallway, Maka's lethal claws rise to deal me a killing blow. Her attack is met with the haft of my rifle, all of my strength put behind the blow.

My feet grind against the aged floor as I contend with the creature's unnatural strength. Maka's toothed mouth gnashes over the haft of the rifle as she relentlessly tries to reach me. With a grunt, I kick her ruthlessly in the stomach, attempting to force her back. While my attack does connect, she's barely affected by it all, driven back only enough for her to make her next charge.

Maka rears up on her back legs and swings her claws at me viciously, each attack filled with the intent to kill. I manage to block one attack with the rifle and dodge another, but I'm no fighter. I don't have the capability to read her movements. Maka pivots on her claws and bucks me right in the stomach with her back legs.

My breath whooshes out of my lungs and my stomach burns with pain. The impact sends me hurtling back into the wall, colliding with a burst of pain that causes me to cry out. Maka is upon me like a whirlwind, her claws whipping through the air and her jaws open wide.

I yelp and duck beneath her claws, which cut into the wooden walls as though they aren't even there. With no way out, I take the only remaining option and ram my shoulder into her chest, putting all of my body weight behind the attack. I manage to muster enough force to knock her backwards, but her claws rake across my shoulders, tearing my shirt further and cutting into my skin.

Maka hits the wall on the other side of the hallway and struggles to rise, but I don't let her. With rage burning throughout my body, I leap across the hall and land atop her, slamming my legs down on her forelegs and pinning her claws down. She shrieks and roars, flailing her back legs and attempting to bite at me, but she can't reach me.

I grasp the rifle tightly, and then with every bit of strength that I can muster, I bring it down on Maka's head with a sickening thump. A blow like that would have been enough to knock out or even kill an ordinary human, but the monster doesn't stop struggling. I bite my lip, tears rolling down my cheeks as I hit her again and again, her skull fracturing with every hit. Blackened blood soon stains the wall behind her. Eventually, Maka's roars die down and her body slowly ceases its movements, once there's nothing left of its head but a pulpy mass.

The danger passed, I rise from the twisted body of my dead niece, the tears dripping from my face. Now that she's gone, the rage fades away, to be replaced by emptiness. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to stop this from happening. I'm sorry I had to do that to you...but it was the only way. Maybe now, wherever you are, you can rest in peace.

I stand there for a while, feeling as though I've already died. It wouldn't surprise me at this point; Hell can't be any worse than this.

Either way, now that the battle is over, my original goal returns. I need to get out of here, find King Sombra, and murder him in cold blood. However, I need to leave soon. I don't know if there are any more of those things around, but it's likely considering how many were in the recording. Even if I could get the generator working again, I don't have enough time to study any more. After that battle, I'm losing even more blood.

I limp towards the stairwell listlessly, carrying the rifle in one hand and applying pressure to my side with the other. The roof access hatch is just inside the stairwell, consisting of a simple crimson ladder and a hatch to the rooftop. The hatch was designed in such a way that it could be easily opened in the case of an emergency. I think this qualifies.

Leaving the rifle on the ground for now, I climb up the ladder, noticing with satisfaction that the rungs are still somewhat sturdy. Upon reaching the hatch, I clamp my hands around the wheel and turn. I grunt and strain my aching muscles until the rusty wheel starts to turn.

The moment the hatch becomes loose enough to open, the thing slams open with a loud bang, and what seems to be a torrent of dark earth pours through the opening and cascades over me with enough force to knock me right off the ladder, taking me right down to the floor.

I cry out with pain and surprise as several pounds of earth flows down from the opening and covers me. I cover my eyes with an arm to keep them safe from the cloud of earth, but even then I can't keep it from covering my face and getting in my mouth, such that I hack and cough.

Eventually the stream of earth dissipates, leaving me free to rise. I cough again and rise to a sitting position, dirt sliding down from my body in the process. I take my arm away from my face and notice that light is shining down from the hole. That has to be the light of the outside world. I need to get out and find someplace to get some water. With all the earth covering my body, I need to get clean or my wounds definitely will get infected.

I get to my feet and fish around in the dirt until I find the rifle. I toss it up the hole first, and then climb up the ladder after it. After ascending the ladder, I find myself in a narrow hole that leads up through the earth to...what looks like leaves swaying in the night sky. I don't think I've ever been happier to see the sky in my entire life.

It takes some doing to get up through the hole, but with the help of embedded rocks and protruding tree roots, I manage to lever myself up and out of the hole into the fresh air. I gasp and breathe in as much of the outside air as I can, finding it much sweeter than I remember. The air down in the ruin was getting to be extremely stale...no doubt I would have suffocated if I stayed down there too long.

Casting my gaze around, I notice I'm in the midst of a thick green forest. The tree trunks are wide and the branches stretch up to nearly cover the sky with their wide leaves. Plants, brush, and tree roots cover the ground as far as I can see. Every direction looks the same as the last, letting me know that I'm completely lost. This area looks like nothing that I remember...though I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

This is probably fortunate. The area seems alive with wildlife activity just out of sight, letting me know that if it comes down to it, I can find and kill small animals for food. If I'm lucky, I can find a river to clean myself off and quench my thirst. I don't know the first thing about surviving in the wilderness, but at this point, I either adapt or I die. It's as simple as that.

I start to walk in a randomly chosen direction. If everything I heard in the footage is true...then everyone's dead. There's no human civilization remaining. I'm the only one. I'd be happy if just my family and Amaryllis could come back, but as it stands...I'm all on my own. It doesn't matter which direction I go. There's nowhere for me to go.

The bandage at my side is nearly soaked through, and blood is steadily trickling down my chest from the wounds on my shoulders. As everything about me is filthy, there's nothing else I can use to patch myself up. I let out another bitter laugh. After all this...blood loss may well be the end of me.

The further I go, the more I notice that this forest isn't plants are all twisted and climb up the trunks like parasites, and even the trees themselves appear twisted and gnarled. There were no forests like this in the area of our campus, so I've never seen anything like this. I feel something strange in the atmosphere around me that I can't quite place. It's like the air is constantly humming with something I can't see...but it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

After a long period of walking, I hear a rustling in the brush near me. I've been hearing signs of life all over the place, but this is the closest any of the animals have ever been. I turn my head and raise my rifle to defend myself.

The first thing I see are two glowing green eyes emerging from the underbrush. "What now?" I say with a sigh. Whatever possesses eyes like that, it can't be good.

A wolf stalks out from the brush, growling angrily at me. I do a double take when I realize that the wolf is unlike any wolf I've ever seen. It's made entirely out of wood, down to the very teeth in its mouth. Its pupil-less eyes are glowing green with malevolent intent, promising imminent death should I make any sudden moves.

A creature like this is impossible...but in the face of all of the revelations I've had today, it's no more impossible than everything else. Either way...it wants to kill me. That much I think I can be assured of.

I take a step back, but that's exactly the wrong thing to do. The moment the wolf sees me attempting to retreat, it lunges at me faster than I can react. Its claws slice into my chest even as I'm knocked completely off of my feet. My back skids against the ground and I shove my rifle up into the wolf's jaws to keep it from biting down on my throat.

The wolf is incredibly strong despite having such a thin frame. I have to use both hands to keep the rifle wedged into its mouth. However, keeping it from biting leaves both of my arms occupied, so its claws tear into my chest and arms, causing me to cry out in agony.

Thinking quickly, I kick the wolf in the chest multiple times until I hear something crack. The wolf lets out a whimpering cry and leaps back, nursing the wound on its chest. I leap to my feet, blood seeping from my wounds.

"I am not going to die today!" I yell at the wolf, brandishing the rifle before me. I am getting sick and tired of facing death...everything I've seen since waking up has tried to kill me in some form or fashion, and I'm really losing my temper.

The wolf's whimpers turn into furious growls, and to my horror, more wolves emerge from the brush, each one identical in composition to the first. This situation just went from bad to worse. As a last ditch effort, I angle the muzzle of my rifle and pull the trigger...but nothing sounds from the rifle except useless clicking and grinding. I guess I should have expected as much.

Faced with overwhelming numbers and bleeding heavily, there's really only one last course of action for me to take. I spin on one heel and break into a sprint, not caring what direction I'm running in as long as it was away from those wolves.

I can hear them behind me, barking and howling in anticipation of the hunt. They're fast and relentless; without muscles, I don't think they can get tired. That means that unless I find safety soon, they're going to catch me and tear me to ribbons.

A leafy bough that I push out of the way swipes back in my direction and slices my cheek, leaving behind a stinging gash. "Goddammit!" I curse loudly, wincing from the pain. I cast my gaze around as I run, hoping to find something...anything to offer me shelter.

As if answering my prayers, I see a light in the distance, piercing through the darkness of the forest and promising me safe haven. I don't care how improbable it is that it's coming from a civilized source. I don't care what it's coming from at this point. I change my course and head directly for it. It can't be any worse than what's chasing me.

The source of light soon reveals itself to be coming from a window carved into the side of an ornately carved tree. It's clearly not a naturally made structure; an assumption that is cemented when I see the door set into the trunk, with a menacing looking mask hanging above it. Without heeding the implications of such décor, I pull open the door and dash inside, slamming it behind me.

I immediately turn and fiddle with the lock that's present on the other side of the door, fastening it tightly. Just in time too, as the door is soon impacted by the wolves on the other side, whining in frustration and tearing into the wood with their claws. Thankfully, the door is extremely thick and resists their efforts.

"Suck it! I'm not going to die to a bunch of wire frame phonies!" I shout back through the door, even though I know they can't understand me. Reveling in my newfound safety, I shut my eyes and let out a twisted laugh of relief. To anyone else, it would sound as if I had gone crazy. At this point, I think I am going crazy. It wouldn't surprise me.

"Well now, this is quite the unexpected surprise. What manner of being presents itself before my eyes?" I hear a deep female voice sound from further inside the tree home. Her tone was heavily accented, sounding almost tribalistic in nature.

I open my eyes to see the strangest creature walking towards me. The closest thing I can compare it to is a zebra, but it's much too small. Its eyes are too large and it's face seems more expressive than any animal I've ever seen. That's not even counting the multitude of earrings and bracelets adorning its body, almost as if it had personalized its appearance. I attempt to look around the strange animal for the owner of the voice, but there's no one else here.

The zebra then starts to look impatient. "Come now, I know you can speak. Use your voice now, don't be meek." My jaw drops as I see the creature's mouth moving its lips in time with the words I'm hearing. It...the zebra is talking to me.

I guess that settles it. I'm definitely going crazy.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Now, here's a list of the changes I wanted to include in this chapter.

-make Seth less of a brat and remove his narrative mentions of misanthropy, as well as the unnecessary cursing in the narrative. I'll let that show in his dialogue. I want him to come across as troubled, not as a "worthless sack of shit" that someone kindly pointed out to me once.

-Add tie-ins to later points of the plot. For example, hinting at Maka's transformation in the video and hinting at Vanta's presence (both in the video and down in the elevator shaft). That way readers won't question where the fuck Vanta came from. Granted, by doing this, I should probably also rewrite the Vanta chapters, but that can come much later.

-I wanted to flesh out the Maka fight and make it more believable (eg, the gun doesn't fire) and make Seth's reaction more realistic. You know "God, why is this happening to me?" and not "RAWR I KILL JUUUUUU"

-Most importantly, I wanted to rewrite that goddamn awful tantrum he threw in the security room. It never sat well with me the first time, so I wanted Seth's feelings to be more relatable and not the pathetic "I'LL NEVER LOVE AGAIN WAAAAH" cry that he did the first time...only to later fall in love with Dash.

There's lots of other mechanical and flavor changes I put in there, but those are the major ones. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the changes!


	3. Gateway to Equestria

I don't know how long I remain asleep. Every so often, I'll partially emerge into a conscious state, but trying to open my eyes seems to require a colossal effort, so I can never maintain it for long. My mind and thoughts are unclear and in disarray; my body is awash in pain, suffused with heat, and covered in sweat. It's impossible for me to glean anything about my current situation.

Someone is tending to me. Sometimes, when I'm hovering in and out of consciousness, I feel gentle, yet firm touches on my upper body, accompanied by a soft, feminine humming. This time, I can tell she's here again. I feel her peel something away from my body. Moments later, I hear the trickling of liquid, and then a cool and damp sensation pressing against my skin. The pain is dulled somewhat by that, providing me with a brief moment of sweet relief. I hear her humming again, lulling me back into blissful unconsciousness.

A bright light bleeds through my eyelids. I grunt softly and open my eyes, finding it much easier to do so now. The first thing I become aware of is the sunlight shining in through the window just above where I'm lying. The reality of my situation doesn't hit me until I try to get a closer look, noticing the leafy boughs of the forest trees swaying outside.

I wake with a start, remembering where I am as well as the events in the school. My first reaction is to lurch up into a sitting position, but I don't get that far. An intense wave of agony courses through my body at the sudden motion, causing my eyes to water. I can't keep it up, so I fall backwards… onto a comfortable mattress.

Confusion shoots through my mind. Why would there be a mattress here? There's also a window beside me, which shouldn't be possible. Am I still in the forest? What about the wolves? Once again, the urge to rise strikes me, but any attempt I make results in unending pain.

My breathing quickens, my eyes darting around the area in an attempt to make sense of my surroundings. The more I see, the calmer I become, as I seem to be lying in a bed, with a fluffed pillow tucked beneath my head and a yellow wool blanket pulled up to my waist, leaving my upper body open to the air.

I notice first that I've been cleaned thoroughly of all the dirt, sweat, and blood that once coated my body. Additionally, all of the injuries I'd accumulated in that hellish school have been tightly bound by white bandages that wrap around my body, complete with linen gauze that looks as though it's been soaked with something medicinal. Judging from the pungent smell oozing up from my body, I'd guess the ointment was herbal. Judging from the tight feeling around my head, there's another bandage wrapped around it.

The bed that I'm lying in is situated in a wooden alcove in a back corner. There's a wall directly to my right, upon which a series of shelves containing multicolored bottles have been installed. I can't read the labels on them, as they appear to be written in a language that I don't understand. The wall cuts off my view of the rest of the dwelling, so I can't tell what sort of place I've stumbled into. I remember being chased by a whole pack of wolves made from wood. I cringe, recalling the feeling of its wooden claws slicing into my skin.

Looking out the window reveals nothing other than an expanse of thick green forest. There seems to be a path consisting of beaten leaves and dried mud stretching out into the distance. I wrinkle my brow, confused at that observation. A beaten path implies civilization, and according to what I've learned, such a thing doesn't exist anymore. Come to think of it, this house that I'm in doesn't make sense either.

Once again, my understanding of the situation I'm in is upturned. I was certain from Maka's last message as well as her… her body… that there were no other living humans in existence. Yet this dwelling is unmistakably human, despite the fact that it's been built into a tree. Does… does this mean I'm not alone after all?

If that's true, then it's no coincidence that I've been patched up like this. What I can't understand, however, is why this mystery benefactor would help me at all. Is it because I'm one of the few surviving humans? Or is there another more nefarious reason for this? To be honest with myself, there's no guarantee that whoever it is has good intentions. Nobody helps a random stranger out of the goodness of their own heart.

My mind races. What could they possibly want from me? Money? I have some in my wallet, but would my money even work so far in the future? Come to think of it, where are my clothes?

My shirt was torn to shreds, but my pants were still in one piece, more or less. Additionally, my phone and wallet should have been in them. Whoever patched me up also stripped me down, and my clothes are nowhere to be seen.

A sense of panic falls over me. I don't like this. I don't know where I am, who saved me, and what this person even wants with me. There's too many unknowns. I hate unknowns. For all I know, the school could have been safer than where I am right now.

I have to get out of here. With a grunt, I attempt to force myself to rise. Pain surges through my chest with such intensity that my vision flashes red. My side feels like it's going to split apart, and my head pounds with an acute headache, causing me to see stars. It would be so easy to lay back down, but I won't.

Pushing aside the pain, I move the blankets aside, wincing as the cool air assaulted my bare injured body. I lower my feet to the smooth wooden floor, the material feeling cool against my toes. I grit my teeth and stand, gingerly placing weight on my feet. My legs wobble dangerously, the limbs feeling weak and rubbery.

Trying to take a step causes my knee to give out, sending me careening forward. I let out a helpless cry and slam into the wall across from me. My first reflex is the grab the shelves and hang onto them to keep from falling. The bottles shook and fell from the sudden vibration, battering my shoulders and shattering on the ground below, their contents spilling over the once pristine floor.

Breath leaves me in short and ragged bursts. My head throbs mercilessly, my eyes water, and my chest burns like fire. It's only by sheer force of will that I haven't collapsed. The door… I need to find the door. I turn my eyes down the small hallway and started to walk, my whole body screaming with protest. The bandages around my injuries slowly start to stain red as my wounds reopen.

The hall opens out into a sizeable circular chamber, in the center of which is a rotund black cauldron. There's a fire lit beneath it, and I can hear the sound of bubbling liquid inside. There are more shelves containing vases and jars set into the wall on my left, with a archaic mask the size of my torso pinned to the wall just above it. Bottles hang from the ceiling as well, containing strange substances of an unknown nature.

Everything about this place screams danger to me. I need to get out. It's so hard to move my legs. Yet, one step at a time, I steadily move forward, grasping the knots in the uneven wooden wall to keep myself upright. I keep my eyes trained on the door leading outside. So intent am I on my goal that I don't register the sound of hooves clopping against the wood just behind me.

"What are you doing, creature I've only just met?! You are much too hurt to be leaving just yet!" an accented voice filled with alarm addresses me from behind. I immediately turn in place, stifling a groan at the bolt of agony that passes through me at such a sudden motion.

Where I expected to see a human is standing a strange quadrupedal creature, resembling a zebra. Come to think of it, I vaguely remember seeing this thing when I escaped the wolves. Before I can process the meaning of this, the voice speaks again, and this time, the zebra's mouth moves in time with the words.

"Come away from that door and rest; until you have healed, a lack of motion would be best," the zebra says. My eyes blink as I try to process what I'm seeing. There's no other explanation. That zebra is talking to me with its strangely expressive face set into a worried frown.

I give a weary chuckle. It's obvious to me what's happening here. "I must be hallucinating," I mutter to myself, ignoring the zebra entirely. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Wolves made from wood and a zebra that can talk? I'm beginning to think that my mind was so scrambled by that hit to my head that I'm starting to see nonsense.

I turn back around and fumble with the door. The handle at first doesn't turn, leading me to realize that it's still locked. Just as I start trying to unlatch it, I hear the voice again. "Why do you continue to persist? I urge you to immediately desist!" it insisted.

"Shut up!" I snap. Whether I'm actually hearing that voice or not, it isn't going away and it's starting to get on my nerves. "Just stop talking. I don't need this right now. I just need to get outside and… and…" and what? What exactly am I going to do once I leave this place?

"My treatment you disregard and you begin to bleed! Do not endanger your life merely because of your own greed!"

"Why do you care!?" I turn my head and glare at the offending zebra. Part of me is ridiculing myself for talking to a hallucination, but judging from the way it's talking, it acting like it's the one who has been treating me. The zebra looks genuinely taken aback by my question, her mouth opening slightly. "I don't ever remember asking for your help. I don't know what you want from me, but I'll have no part of it! I won't owe you anything!"

The zebra appears to be speechless, so I grunt and turn back to the door. This time, I manage to undo the lock and push the door open, revealing the open expanse of forest stretching out before me.

Without a clear destination in mind, I take the first step out the door, finding that it's getting harder and harder to move. With a pained groan of exertion, I shift my leg over the threshold. My foot catches on something and I lose my balance, careening forward. Unable to grab onto anything except empty air, I fall flat on my stomach.

"Gah!" The air leaves my lungs and the pain strikes me like a hammer blow. My vision dulls and narrows as I can feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. I hold on and attempt to rise, but I can't withstand the sheer agony that such an action causes. I flop helplessly back to the ground. As I allow myself to slip back into unconsciousness, my last thought is that I forgot to look for my clothes.

* * *

I wake up to the feeling of a cool damp cloth pressed against my forehead. Additionally, I feel a deep chill on the side of my head, where the swelling from that earlier knock should be. An ice pack?

Awareness returns to me in full when I remember my previous thoughts. I'm lying back in the bed, once more tucked in with the blankets up to my waist. I turn my head to get a look around, and the first thing I see is that zebra from before, resting on its haunches directly beside the bed.

Seeing it this close up makes it difficult to believe that this is a hallucination. Hallucinations are generally indistinct, unclear. Yet, how can this be real? Its eyes are too large to be those of a typical zebra, no matter how I look at it. Its face seems to be making expressions that a real zebra can't make, simply because they don't have the muscle structure. The kicker is that it's wearing jewelry.

Golden earrings dangle from each of its striped ears, indicating that they've been pierced. Similarly colored rings encircle her neck and one of her forelegs. It seems to me like it has personalized its appearance.

This is way too detailed to be a hallucination. I attempt to rise once more, the all too familiar pain shooting back through my body. This time, the zebra doesn't let me. Its hoof reaches forward and presses down gently on one of the uninjured areas on my chest. I don't have the strength to resist, so I have no choice except to lie there.

"I suggest you stay down, lest you once more hit the ground," the zebra once again talks to me. This time, I can't deny that it's happening. It's too close, so I can tell that the feminine voice is coming from it

"Why are you still talking? What the hell are you?" That is the only question I can think to ask. If this talking zebra is real, then I have a plethora of questions that need answers.

"My name is Zecora, if that is what you seek. Why does it surprise you that I am able to speak?" the zebra replies, understanding me clearly. I give a sigh, at a loss to explain what exactly I'm looking at. King Sombra, the future, and magic existing was hard enough to swallow, but the threads eventually tied together in the end. Where does this creature fit into the mix?

"Because you look like a zebra, and zebras don't talk," I tell her flatly. I should probably call the zebra by its name now. It's strange to accept that an animal is capable of intelligent speech, but to be honest with myself, it's hardly the weirdest thing I've come across recently.

Zecora, who I believe I can classify as female by her voice, blinks at my explanation, looking nonplussed. "A zebra I am, you are right. It is you that I find a most curious sight," she points out. "Of your kind, I've never seen the like. I doubt that you were simply out for a hike."

"That's for certain," I mutter. It sounds like this encounter is as strange to her as it is to me. The difference is that I physically can't comprehend how she exists. Zebras physically don't have the vocal chord structure necessary to form a human language. However, that's not what's most important. My eyes narrow. "Why are you helping me?"

"You were gravely hurt," Zecora reminds me, raising a brow. It's very strange to see that sort of expression on a zebra of all creatures. "Why do you sound so curt?"

"Don't insult me; I'm not some naive kid. You clearly want something, otherwise you wouldn't have bothered saving me, a random stranger of a species you've never met," I accuse her. It probably isn't too smart to question her when I'm at such a disadvantage, but I don't care what she does to me. "So what is it? Money? Something else? Don't try to tell me it's out of kindness."

Zecora looks offended at first, but her expression softens. She nods, as if understanding something. A smile plays about her lips. "You needn't worry about compensation," she begins. I try to interrupt with a protest, but then she continues. "All I'll ask for is some simple information."

"Information?" That I wasn't expecting. Out of everything she could have asked for, that seems the most reasonable; it's understandable to think she'd save me if she thought she could learn something… provided she's telling the truth. "What sort of information? Is it really worth risking your life for? I'm assuming those wolves didn't go away because they got bored."

The zebra ponders for several seconds. "I am very curious about your desperate flight, and your unique form is quite the intriguing sight," she reveals. I give a nod. She wants to know what I am and why I barged into her house. Just as I'm about to answer, she forestalls my words by raising a hoof. "Hold, don't let that thought fade. First, I will have us partake of this soup I have made."

"Hold on, what? You made me a meal?" I question her alertly. As if on cue, my stomach rumbles unpleasantly, reminding me of just how long it has been since the last time I've eaten. Any food at all would be nice, but I don't trust her. "Why?"

Zecora pauses as she's on her way to the cauldron. She looks back, giving me a smile. "You are quite the suspicious one. Asking questions of the hungry would not be any fun," she attempts to assure me, and then she disappears around the corner.

I stare after her momentarily. Information for medical attention and food. Depending on how valuable this information is to her, that could be considered an even trade. I can accept that. Though I do have one question: why on earth does each of her sentences rhyme? At first I thought it was coincidence, but she's done it every time.

The trickling of liquid into bowls is audible from the other room. As I rest my head back against the pillow, I let out an incredulous exhale. It's getting harder to believe that what I'm experiencing is real with every passing moment. From meeting that superhuman king in the stairwell, to finding myself in the future, and now having soup with a talking zebra, I'm beginning to wonder if all of this isn't in fact one incredibly vivid acid trip.

When Zecora returns, there are two bowls of steaming soup resting on her back. It's somewhat impressive that she's managing to balance them like that without any of it spilling. That aside, I'm rather anxious about what's in this soup. Would a zebra's diet even be digestible for me? Would I find blades of grass in the broth?

Zecora cranes her head back and gently bites down on the rim of one of the bowls. Her mouth seems to have a powerful grip, as the bowl doesn't even wobble as she brings it over to rest on the chair she'd previously been sitting on. She does the same with the other bowl. From here, I notice an amber liquid in them, in which brown mushrooms are floating around.

She notices the state I'm in and clicks her tongue. "Now, this will not do. Please, allow me to help you," Zecora requests, moving closer to me. Before I can question her intent, she places one hoof on my chest and worms the other beneath my back. She keeps eye contact with me and applies upwards pressure on my back.

I see what she's trying to do. Wincing, I start to rise, supported by her hooves. With her help, I assume a position where I'm sitting mostly upright, with pillows propped beneath my back to provide support. The pain isn't as intense as it was the first time I tried to move; I guess I have these herbal mixtures to thank for that. I don't know what's in them, but they're doing a good job dulling the pain.

Zecora nods with satisfaction, and then she moves one of the bowls to my lap with her mouth. Thankfully, her lips don't touch the soup at all. That would have been disgusting. I glance down at the soup and then look around for a spoon. A second later, I realize I'm not going to get one. Zecora has no reason to use utensils, as she only has hooves.

"What's in this?" I ask, angling my head down towards the broth.

"This meal consists of mostly honey as its primary ingredient," Zecora explains. I raise an eyebrow. I'm not confused about the fact that there's honey in it; I'm more curious as to how she's going to make a rhyme with that. "It's also quite hot; your consumption need not be expedient."

I exhale quietly with disbelief as she pulled it off despite my skepticism. I can't hold it back any longer. "I have to ask; why do you rhyme every couple of sentences you say?" I inquire bluntly.

Zecora doesn't seem irritated in the slightest at the question. Instead, she chuckled, as if she had been expecting it. "I'm not surprised you felt compelled to pose that question to me," she responded with a wry shake of her head. She then puts on a rather mysterious smile. "That story, however, I would rather keep to myself, you see."

So, she's not going to tell me. This could get annoying real fast...but I guess I'm not in a position to be worrying about that. "Right…" I reply awkwardly. I lift the bowl of soup with my hands, finding that while my shoulders sting from the exterior, I can manage well enough to bring it to my mouth for a sip.

It's surprisingly good. The taste of honey is the most prevalent, but the added mushroom enhances the flavor well enough. Additionally, I think I can detect a hint of basil. It's an interesting mix, but not a distasteful one. The consistency seems to have been thinned by simple water, so this meal not only fills my stomach, but helps to quench my thirst. I wonder if she cooked this in that large cauldron out there?

As for Zecora, she brings over a small table and places the bowl on top of it. She then climbs up onto the chair and lowers her head to drink directly from the soup. Seeing her like this, she reminds me a lot of a typical animal. Honestly, the only difference is that she talks and acts like one of us.

"That I have not asked this before now fills me with shame. Would you first grace me with your species and your name?" Zecora begins, looking up from her meal. Oh, I suppose I haven't introduced myself yet.

"My name is Seth Rogers, and I'm human," I answer simply. To my surprise, Zecora's eyes widen in awe, as if she's heard of my kind before. I crank an eyebrow. "You know about us?"

Zecora nods, appraising me in a whole new light. "In ancient legends and ruins, all of ponykind has heard of your name. Among historians, your species has garnered much fame. From a long time before us, you originate. Mystery and misinformation have yet to dissipate," she reveals to me.

I nearly drop the bowl. I question my own hearing, wondering if I heard all of that right. She knows about us through ancient ruins and legends? I thought I was only out of the picture for eighty years. Humanity has built a great deal of infrastructure and wonders that have lasted for centuries. If it's been long enough for all of that disappear, how long has it really been? My hands tremble as I lift the bowl back to my mouth for another sip.

I don't know why I let myself believe that there might be more humans out there. Once again, I succumbed to foolish hope. It's just me now. I close my eyes. After venting my emotions out in the school, all I feel now is a dull emptiness. Then it struck me. Did she just say " _ponykind?_ "

"Common knowledge has it that your kind is naught but dust. I imagine the tale of your arrival must be quite robust. So that the facts may be laid bare, your tale, would you kindly share?" Zecora presses before I can finish processing that thought. She looks over me with a whole new interest. I shove my questions into the back of my mind and take a moment to determine how best to answer her. In the end, I decide to be as honest as I can with her.

"To be honest, I couldn't tell you. First of all, I don't even know where 'here' is. Secondly, I know next to nothing about magic. There was a spell involved with my arrival, but that's all I know," I answer her. It's a half truth at best. Her explanation about how my race is viewed has caused my distrust of her to grow. Therefore, I'm not going to tell her everything; just enough to absolve myself of any debt to her.

"To not know one's origins is an unfortunate woe," Zecora acknowledges solemnly. A few moments later, her lips curve into a wry smile. "I recall a particular unicorn who would have very much liked to know."

"Okay, stop," I interrupt, unable to take it any longer. That's twice now that she's said something that doesn't make any sense. "Ponykind? _Unicorn?_ What on earth are you talking about? Are you being serious!?"

Zecora blinks, surprised by my sudden outburst. After a moment, understanding dawns on her face. "It seems that of ponies you are quite unaware. I suppose to expect otherwise is quite unfair," she observes.

"Don't be stupid; of course I know what a pony is. But you keep talking about them like they're some kind of civilization," I correct her.

"You will be quite surprised, I expect. Listen close, so your ignorance I may correct. However, my explanation may not cause a dent, as my knowledge is but a small fragment," Zecora begins. She takes a brief moment to gulp down some more of her soup before continuing. "Equestria is the name of our fair nation. Of peacetime, there is no cessation. Ponies of three kinds primarily live here. To the princesses, they are subjects most dear. Unfortunately, all else that I can say would seem trite. You would be better off speaking with Twilight."

I look at Zecora incredulously, wondering if she could actually hear what she's saying. Everything that comes out of her mouth sounds like pure nonsense, but any counter argument I can come up with is negated by the fact that I'm holding a conversation with a talking zebra. Am I supposed to believe that humans died off, only to be replaced by… ponies? I can't help it. I burst out into incredulous laughter. This can't be real. This has to be one hell of a bad joke.

Zecora watches me as I keep laughing, until I finally have to stop due to the pain. I take several deep breaths, calming myself down. "That's utterly ridiculous," I admit. "You honestly expect me to believe humans have been replaced by talking ponies?"

"To you, their existence may seem like bad humor at its peak, yet I assure you that your presence to them is just as unique," Zecora admonishes me. "Of my appearance, you seem to grasp the concept. Is the existence of ponies really so hard to accept?"

"I'm not even over the fact that _you_ can talk!" I snap back at her. Despite the painkillers, my headache returns, causing me to rub my forehead in irritation. I heave a heavy sigh. "What the hell has happened to my world?"

In the end, as crazy as it sounds, none of this matters. I know one thing that's a fact; Sombra is somewhere in this world. I don't know where or what he's doing, but finding him is my top priority. I can't stay shut in here with this zebra forever. I want to ask her about this 'Twilight' she mentioned. I'm assuming she's not referring to the time of day by the same name. However, she's supposed to be asking _me_ questions, not the other way around. I've already pushed it more than I'd like.

Zecora remains silent, waiting for me to recollect myself. Eventually, I gaze back at her, feeling resigned. "Whatever, I don't care anymore. Just, ask me another question," I tell her. I go back to drinking my soup sullenly.

"Your flight through the forest sounded quite frantic; tell me, does your kind not possess any magic?" Zecora obliges after a moment's awkwardness. I give her a blank stare.

"What? No, we didn't have any magic. We advanced our civilization through advanced technology, rather than relying on something that at the time didn't exist," I retort. I wish I did have some magic, through. Maybe then, I wouldn't have been taken by surprise. Maybe then, I wouldn't have had to lose everything I cared about.

"Hmmm, your statement proves many a scientist wrong. The belief in that theory was quite strong," Zecora states with a mixture of surprise and interest. I can't help but raise an eyebrow. The ponies believed we had magic? Exactly where would the basis for that belief come from? "Now, my questions are nearly done. Are there more humans than just one?"

I don't say anything at first, causing Zecora to tilt her head curiously. Hearing her ask something like that so casually causes a bitter feeling to arise within me. I can't help but let that bitterness show in my response. "Gee, why don't you tell me? The very fact that you have to ask that should tell you that there aren't any. You were just saying how we were all 'dust.'" Zecora's ears flatten at my scathing reply, but I'm not finished. "No, the others are dead...long dead. It's just me now."

Those words hurt, even as I say them. Saying it like that means that I've accepted that they're gone, and I'll never see them again. I would do anything to be able to see just my friend and family again. I don't care about anyone else.

Zecora's expression is replaced by one of sympathy, which just makes me feel worse. When I notice her raise her hoof and extend it towards me as if in reassurance, I hold up a hand and stop her. "Don't. I didn't ask for your sympathy, nor do I have any use for it," I snap harshly.

I know even before looking that Zecora is hurt by my words. An awkward silence falls between us after that. I'm no longer in the mood to answer any more questions "Can we take a break?" I ask eventually, leaning my head back on the pillow. "I'm starting to get tired again."

Zecora nods, relieved now that the subject has changed. "With your wounds, this is no surprise. Taking some time to rest would be most wise," she responds in a solemn tone. She rises from her chair, reights herself, and then gathers up both of the empty bowls one at a time, placing them on her back.

"Allow me one moment to place these in the sink. I will return soon, with something to drink," the zebra tells me, and then she walks around the corner and out of sight.

Now that I'm alone for a moment, I sigh and close my eyes, shifting my position. Lying in one place for too long is making me feel restless and cramped. I would love to stretch out, but anything other than minor movements causes pain to shoot through my chest.

When Zecora returns, she's carrying two glasses of liquid on her back. I notice her leaning her head back to grab them. The thought of that makes me cringe, so I reach out with my arm and grab one of them before she can touch it. My shoulder sting a little, but the wounds there aren't nearly as deep as the one in my side, so it's tolerable.

I notice Zecora staring in disapproval. "What? It's a simple task. I don't need you to do everything for me," I say defensively before she can say anything. I then look away from her and at the glass in my hands. It's made of smooth mottled glass colored with a hint of turquoise. Inside is a clear liquid, which I'm assuming is water. However, given all of the bottles of liquid out there, it could be anything.

A tentative sip reveals to me that it is in fact water. It's cool and sweet, and soon I disregard all earlier reservations and drain the cup dry. I grab the other cup and do the same. It's such a relief to wash away the thirst that had been plaguing me since I was wandering around in the school.

"Now, from these questions I will offer you reprieve. In the forest there lies a task for which I must leave," Zecora informs me as she takes back both of the glasses. Her words register with me just as she's starting to walk away.

"Leave? You're going out into the forest?" I question her with some alarm. When she nods, I let out a disbelieving huff. "Why? Are you crazy? What about those wolves? They'll tear you apart!"

Zecora pauses and gives a knowing smile. "There is no need for concern. There is little threat to me, as far as I can discern," she assures me. She then taps her snout with a hoof. "One does not live in a magical forest as long as me, without encountering its denizens, you see."

"I'll take your word for it. But what the hell am I supposed to do when you're not here? It's not like I can easily get up and move around," I point out.

Zecora nods, as if she had forgotten something. She wordlessly ducks around the corner and returns with a small pan in her mouth and a few books on her back. She sets the pan down carefully right next to my bed, and places the books one by one onto the table that is within arms reach of me.

"While I am away in the forest, for herbs I look. Until I return, you may make use of a book. Should nature call and I am not around, I have placed this pan on the ground," Zecora explains, resuming her preparations for departure.

I can't help but cringe at her last statement. I don't relish the idea of using a pan to relieve myself, but it's not as if I'm able to painlessly move just yet. I nod, remaining silent. I appreciate having a book to read. It might help me learn a little more about this world I've been thrust into.

I hear the sound of the door opening. Just as Zecora is leaving, she gives a reassuring smile. "Your injuries are not so severe; it won't be long before you are up off your rear," she promises me.

Then, the door shuts with a click, and I'm left alone in her hut. She says my wounds aren't that severe, but I've never been hurt this bad in my life. However, the pain isn't nearly as bad as it was before.

This leads me to conclude that Zecora is an able herbalist. It isn't unheard of for plants to possess medicinal qualities; no doubt Zecora knew exactly which ones to use to deaden the pain and encourage blood clotting. It shouldn't be long before the more minor wounds on my shoulders and arms to scab over. However, the gash in my side and the claw marks on my chest are another matter.

There's nothing I can do now except wait for her return. Then, I'll find some way to ask her about this Twilight person, and where I can find him or her. Zecora talks about them like they're knowledgeable, perhaps a scholar. Someone like that would help me to understand the world I'm in now. Additionally, with a little luck, they may know where I can find Sombra.

I reach over and bring one of the books over to me. The cover is thick and coarse, making it easy to keep a grip on it. As I look down at the brownish book and open it up, several questions come to mind. How would a pony use this? Their hooves aren't nearly as dexterous as hands, so turning the pages should be quite an ordeal for them.

Secondly, what language is this? I had assumed (or rather, hoped) that because our spoken languages are the same, our written words would be similar as well. Yet I can't make heads nor tails of this. There doesn't seem to be any words, but rather a long string of symbols of varying shapes. I can't read this at all.

Thirdly, albeit less importantly, the symbols appear to be printed on the page. The typewriter is an early industrial era technology. Therefore, if this exists, then the ponies must be in that era as well. My mind paints a picture of dank streets and factories pumping out harmful exhaust gasses into the air, and I grimace. The industrial era was not the most glamorous of time periods.

I groan and set the book aside, sighing in annoyance. So my only means of entertainment is completely inaccessible to me. Yet, just seeing the printed words raises hundreds of questions. Exactly what kind of technology do these ponies possess? What is their architecture like? What is their social structure, their government, or their economy? Of course, this is all assuming they're actually a civilization by human standards. For all I know, it could just be that pony "civilization" is just a bunch of talking ponies standing around in a field, grazing and talking about the weather.

There's no point in thinking about it. I don't have any answers, and purely speculating is just going to frustrate me. In all honestly, there's not a lot of options on what to do now. I suppose I'll try to nap. That way I'll at least be doing something other than lying here helpless.

It's nearly impossible for me to get any real sleep. With the sun trickling in through the window as well as the fact that I had a decent night's sleep before this makes it difficult to nap for long periods of time. However, I do notice that as the minutes turn into hours, my strength is slowly returning.

My upper body has been cut to ribbons, but the injuries are mostly superficial, and my legs are completely fine. Perhaps my earlier difficulties were due in part to fatigue as well. Nevertheless… now may be a good time to try moving again.

This time, I take it slowly and carefully. I remove the blankets from my legs and place my feet on the floor. I apply my weight to them gradually, using the nearby table to steady myself. At last, I hoist myself up and try to stand.

My legs wobble and feel weak, but once I'm used to it, it isn't nearly as hard to stay upright anymore. If I move my torso too much, it starts to pain me greatly, but if I keep it as still as possible when I walk, I can manage.

With my hand braced against the wall, I walk out into the main room,. A cursory glance around the room allows me to locate my jeans, shirt, which are hanging from a rack on the far wall. On a shelf just beneath them is the rifle I found in the ruins, as well as my boxers, socks, and shoes stacked neatly next to it. My phone and wallet are resting on the shelf as well, just in front of the rifle. I make my way over to them, relieved to see that Zecora hasn't done anything stupid with my belongings.

I note that my clothes have been washed clean of dirt and blood. My shirt is still in tatters from… from my niece, but my jeans are in good shape. I'm curious as to how she got the blood out of it, however. To my knowledge, bloodstains are near impossible to remove.

With a grunt and some mild pain, I put on my boxers first, and then my jeans. It feels good to be clothed again, even if I don't have much of a shirt left. I continue on and finish dressing by wearing my socks and shoes.

I grab my wallet and slide it into my right pocket, and then I unlock my phone to get a sense of how much battery it has. Hm, there's about ninety percent left. That's rather generous for a phone of this model, especially considering it was on all night. However, I can't be too surprised; I did just get the battery replaced. Despite this stroke of good luck, it doesn't matter in the end. I don't know if ponies have electricity or not, but even if they do, there's no way they'll have an adapter for my phone. That means that once it runs out of battery, it's gone for good.

That's a painful thought. Memories of the last five years are saved inside of this small device: pictures, text messages, and voicemails. Now that I think about it, it's all that I have left of them. I grit my teeth and navigate to the settings panel. The first thing I do is turn the battery on low power mode, and then switch airplane mode to on. The best thing to do would be to turn it off, but I may need it.

Suddenly an idea comes to me. I look down at the phone, and then over to the door. Interesting… I may have just found my ticket out of here. I slide my phone into my left pocket. I'll deal with that when Zecora gets back.

Speaking of my benefactor, I will say that I'm lucky that all she wanted was information. I'm even luckier for the fact that she lives here in the first place. Without anywhere to hide, I'd certainly be dead now… though honestly, it's not as though I have a lot to live for. After finding and killing Sombra… I don't know what I'll be doing. Thoughts for the future, I suppose.

While I wait for Zecora to return, I practice walking, getting used to my own weight again. It hurts at first, but eventually walking becomes easier. As soon as Zecora returns, I'll bid this place goodbye. My next stop will be someone with a great deal of knowledge, like a scholar.

Once early afternoon rolls around, the door opens, and Zecora trots inside with a basket filled with herbs clutched in her mouth. She pauses and her eyes widen with surprise when she sees me standing with my back to the opposite wall. She sets down the basket on a nearby shelf and approaches me.

"What is this miracle that I see? The human standing on his own, proud as can be?" Zecora questions. She gives me another look of disapproval. "Lying in bed may not be enjoyable in part, but moving before you're ready is not very smart."

"Spare me the lecture. You said yourself my wounds weren't that bad," I retort, crossing my arms. "Even if they were, I have no intentions of staying shut up in this house with you for the time it takes to heal."

Zecora's head snaps back at the harsh words, visibly hurt. She licks her lips nervously, and then heaves a sigh. "While your words are harsh, they ring true. What then, are you planning to do?" she questions me seriously. "You are quite the stranger in this realm. If you are not careful, you could be overwhelmed."

"Trust me, I don't need you to tell me that," I remind her, recalling my desperate run through the woods. In addition, I've been told that this world is familiar with magic, has a pony civilization, and views my kind as if we are ancient history. I'm already overwhelmed. "Now then, I have a deal for you. I'll share with you some more information in exchange for you answering a question of mine."

"You need not worry about making a trade. As for information, that debt has already been paid," Zecora attempts to assure me. "I will answer your question for free. This is a better solution, don't you agree?"

"Absolutely not," I tell her resolutely, not even needing to think about it. "I traded information about myself for treatment and food. Nowhere in the equation were you compelled to give information to me."

"Once again, you prove difficult to persuade," Zecora responded with a frustrated huff. "Why are you so insistent upon an even trade?"

"I don't have to answer that. Now, are you interested in the deal or not?" I repeat, getting annoyed.

Zecora looks as though she wants to protest some more, but then she sighs and nods. I then gingerly place my weight back on my legs and approach her. I reach my hand into my pocket and retrieve my phone for her to see. The zebra blinks and angles her head to get a better look at it.

"You likely saw this when you were cleaning my clothes. Do you know what this is?" I begin. Zecora pauses, and then shakes her head. That confirms that ponies, assuming that Zecora isn't a hermit with no technology, aren't anywhere near the level of humanity as far as technological advancements go. "This is what my kind refers to as a cell phone. It's a device that allows us to talk to one another over long distances."

"Ah, this is quite the advanced device! Ponies correspond mainly through post, which is not nearly as nice," Zecora marvels, confirming my suspicions. At the most, ponies are in the early industrial era if they still rely on a postal service.

"That's not all it can do. It also allows us to keep record of important dates and appointments, perform basic mathematical functions, watch movies, take measurements, and endless other functions," I continue. I can't help but feel proud at the way Zecora's ears fold back and her eyes widen further. Regardless of how I feel about them, I can at least be proud of humanity's technological accomplishments. Not that it did them a lot of good in the end. "Where I come from, these are pretty common sights. Nearly everyone had one."

"My respect for the human race only continues to grow," Zecora admits, peering closer at the phone. "Are there any functions that you would be willing to show?"

I flick on the screen, causing the zebra to recoil slightly from the sudden bright light. "Yes, but you wouldn't understand any of it. I discovered when I looked at your books that although we share a spoken language, our systems of writing are completely different," I reveal to her. I don't understand how that's possible, to be honest with myself. Then again, considering I don't understand how in all of creation ponies learned to talk anyway, as their vocal chords just aren't made for that.

Zecora gave me an apologetic look. "Such a thing had never crossed my mind. Merely some enjoyment for you, I had hoped to find. I apologize for leaving you to boredom without respite; for entertainment, you must have been desperate."

"I don't really care. Entertainment isn't really at the forefront of my mind," I tell her flatly. "More importantly, the fact that we share a spoken language in the first place seems impossible to me. Languages change over time, and from what you've said, humans have been gone for a while."

"About your kind are mysteries galore; I don't know the answer, but Twilight may know more," Zecora admits, rolling her forelegs in a strange fashion. It takes me a moment to realize that I just saw the quadruped equivalent of a shrug. That aside, she just mentioned Twilight again.

"That leads me into the question I wanted to ask in the first place," I say, returning my phone to my pocket. I'm not sure it was a good idea to show her my phone in the first place, but I don't have anything else to offer. "Who is this Twilight you keep mentioning, and where can I find them?"

Zecora raises an eyebrow, surprised at my odd choice of question. "Twilight Sparkle is a unicorn, in academics she does shine. I met her several months ago; she is a now a dear friend of mine," she begins.

My eye starts to twitch somewhat. I was right in assuming that Twilight is a scholar, but a unicorn? Seriously? Not for the first time, I wonder if any of this is for real. Maybe Sombra hit me harder than I thought, and I'm actually in a feverish coma.

"She resides just outside the forest in a town called Ponyville, in matters of magic, she possesses much skill. During her time in town, she has met with much success. She is also the personal student of the Solar Princess," Zecora continues.

I try to make note of everything she says, but I'm only coming up with more questions. First of all, "Ponyville?" Everything I hear about this situation only grows more ridiculous by the second. Ponies living in Ponyville, princesses, and unicorns… I'm beginning to become convinced that I'm not in a feverish dream, but in a young girl's feverish dream.

"Outside the forest, huh? Alright then. That means there's no point in sticking around here any longer." I grab my rifle from the nearby table, testing its weight with my arms. It's nothing more than a glorified club at this point, but I'm not getting rid of it. I give a quick look around to make sure that I'm not leaving anything of mine behind, and then I head for the door without another word.

Zecora immediately moves to stand between the door and me, looking astonished. "Just where do you think you are going? In your condition, it would be dangerous to enter the forest unknowing!" she protests firmly. "It would be wise to take more time to heal, else more pain you will inevitably feel."

I stare at her with a deadpan expression. "Thank you for telling me everything I already know," I snap sarcastically, causing her to flinch. "I'm not your child; you have no obligation to look over me. I gave you the information you wanted; what I do from here is none of your business."

Zecora looks hurt, but remains stubbornly in place. "It seems you have yet to learn; all I do for you has been out of honest concern," she expresses to me with soulful eyes. My response is a derisive scoff.

"Don't give me that. I don't need your 'concern,' or whatever else you want to call it. I have no more information to give you," I retort, my eyes narrowing. I step around her and grasp the handle, pulling the door open to reveal the forest. "Now if you'll excuse me."

The forest looks very different in the daylight. The leaves and foliage are a vibrant green, and the sun's rays filtering down through the canopy makes for a beautiful sight. It doesn't look nearly as threatening as it did the previous night.

Granted, compared to the forests I've been through before, it definitely looks odd, almost predatory. The plants and vines crawl over the rocks and trees as if devouring them, the trees are gnarled and twisted, and just like the previous night, I can feel _something_ in the air: a humming whose source I can't quite place.

I take it back. This place is just as threatening as before. I find myself clenching my fingers tighter around my rifle.

Before me stretches the wide path I saw from the window earlier, stretching out into the distance. This must be where I need to go. I start down the path, wincing slightly. The bandages wrapped tightly around my body are feeling a little uncomfortable now that I'm out in the open air like this.

I hear hoofbeats behind me, causing me to groan. Zecora is following me, still refusing to give up, much to my annoyance. "Before you so rashly go, one last quiz. Do you know where the road to Ponyville is?" she questions with a hint of smugness in her tone.

"I'm assuming it's at the end of this path," I remark dryly, not even bothering to look at her. Judging from the silence behind me, I'm probably right. However, I can still hear her walking behind me. "Why are you still here?"

"The process of treatment is not yet finished. Should you fall on your own, I would feel diminished," Zecora responds, and this time she definitely sounds smug. "Making you healthy was part of our deal. Surely reneging would not be ideal?"

I open my mouth to argue, but then realize that I can't. She has a valid point on that, as much as I hate to admit it. It would not be fair to me if I gave her information, and then she just let me get hurt again. Ugh, I hate this, but I have to accept her presence for now. I remain silent, letting her continue to follow me.

After a few minutes of walking, I start to breathe heavily. I'm starting to realize that exerting myself so soon after waking up may not have been the best idea. Occasionally, I have to stop and rest against a tree so I can catch my breath. Before long, my side starts to ache.

Apart from our initial conversation Zecora and I have said nothing to one another. We've been walking in silence for a while now. This isn't surprising; I have nothing else to say to her. My mind is focused on finding Twilight now. I will find out as much as I can about this world, and then I will find Sombra. That's my only purpose in life now. I can think of nothing else.

"I do not mean to pry. You seem troubled; may I ask why?" Zecora finally asks, breaking the silence between us.

"Are you serious? Have you forgotten what and where I am? How could you even ask a question like that?" I demand incredulously, turning my head to glare at her.

Zecora shakes her head. "I have not forgotten your situation, you see. I am referring to your bitterness towards me," she clarifies. Zecora's words cause me to think for a moment. To be fair, she hasn't done anything to me so far, but… I don't think I have it in me to care. There's no room in my current goal for anyone else.

"You may call it bitterness, but I don't really care about you," I correct her, an empty feeling forming in my chest. "You fed me and patched me up, and in return I gave you information. That's as far as it goes. In case you were wondering, I'm not looking for friends: now or ever again."

Zecora remains silent in response to my ice cold response, visibly hurt. She looks back up at me with her dark eyes. I return my gaze to the front, satisfied that I've cleared up any further misunderstandings about our current relationship.

Several seconds later, I hear Zecora say something in a low, quiet voice. "No one can be an island, else the pain will soon get out of hand."

I don't say anything in response. I want to scoff, but her words make me feel troubled. I shake my head wordlessly. I don't have to worry about that. I'm only alive now to kill Sombra.

Nothing else matters.

* * *

The remainder of the journey to the edge of the forest is uneventful; we are disturbed neither by conversation nor the wildlife. I suspect Zecora has something to do with the latter, due to the fact that I'll see her scattering drops of a strangely colored liquid from a bottle along the edges of the path. Immediately afterwards, I would hear the sounds of creatures fleeing through the underbrush. I suppose that cauldron, as well as all of those filled and labeled bottles, aren't just for show.

When the trees finally thin out, the shadows have grown longer and the forest has grown darker. I'm glad we reached the edge of the forest now; I don't relish another trip through here in the dark. Now, after a quick look at my phone, I can tell that it's about six in the evening. Of course, this is assuming that my phone's kept time is accurate.

Most importantly, I can get my first look at this world that I'm in now, at long last. However, when I step out of the woods, I stop in my tracks, frozen from shock.

Rolling hills topped with lush green grass spreads into the distance as far as my eyes can see, the blades swaying and rustling in the gentle blowing wind. Just down the hill, there is a quietly flowing river wide enough to sail several yachts through. My eyes follow the river all the way to the silhouette of a gigantic mountain spire jutting straight up into the air, a long way out in the distance.

On one side of the mountain is a cascading waterfall that I assume is the river's source. Additionally, there is a magnificent white castle built into a plateau halfway up the mountain, giving the illusion that it is hanging from the side of the rock face. Even from here, the architecture takes my breath away.

Just beyond the river down below is a fairly large village constructed on a roughly round portion of land framed by the river on three sides. The buildings look to be constructed from white plaster and built with wooden frames and thatched roofs, similar to the style of early 19th century human dwellings. Cementing this assumption is the railroad running directly through the center of the village, as well as the way the village is organized.

There is a towering cylindrical structure with a spired red roof in the rough center of the town, and the buildings nearby are constructed in a circle around it, leaving an open area at its foundation. That must be the town square and that building must house the town's leadership.

On the left side of the town just across the river is a series of trees arranged in an orderly fashion, like an orchard of sorts. Judging from the bright red dots I can make out from here, I can only conclude that those are apple trees. My only guess is that, considering that orchard is so large, apples are the primary agricultural product of this town.

I'm beginning to think my estimation that the ponies are in the early industrial period is true. In the village, I can't see anything that would be commonplace in a human settlement. For example, there's no sign of anything that looks like a power plant. There are no telephone poles, no power lines, no transformers, and certainly no radio towers. I can't help but chuckle at the irony present in this situation. Sombra, inadvertently or not, sent me far into the future, yet it seems as though I am far into the past.

"I'm heading into town. I don't need you to follow me any longer. You can consider your end of the deal upheld," I say to Zecora firmly. I don't want her following me into town.

Zecora nods, much to my relief. She dips her head slightly. "Goodbye, Seth, and be careful in the city. Many ponies may find you to be an oddity." With that, Zecora turns and starts to plod back into the forest, sparing me one last look over her shoulder.

"Noted," I respond tersely. I'm on my own now, and I have a task to accomplish. I don't have the time to stand around and enjoy the sights. I begin my trek down the hill.

That being said, the scenery is beautiful, but it also doesn't make sense. There's absolutely no sign that there used to be a college here. Granted, the majority of it is underground, but it's still disconcerting to see nothing but rolling hills where a metropolis should have been. I also don't remember a mountain as high as the one in the distance being present anywhere near the college. There was Rainier Mountain, but that was more like a glorified hill where students would go to hike.

I don't see any ponies yet. I am least curious as to what one looks like, considering they supposedly rule America now. If they're anything like Zecora, then they're hardly different from humans. I hope they don't rhyme like her. Zecora never would tell me why she insisted on doing that.

Crossing the river is easy enough. The ponies have constructed a bridge spanning its width. Walking on it reveals its sturdy construction, as it doesn't even tremble beneath my weight. As I cross it, I glance down into the river below, noting the slender shapes of fish darting beneath the surface.

It isn't long before I reach the outskirts of town. I pause momentarily, remembering Zecora's words. I'm not sure how these ponies are going to react to me, and I'm not even sure how _I'm_ going to react to them.

There's nothing to think about. I don't have any other options here than to just walk in and hope for the best. With that in mind, I step onto the smooth stone streets of Ponyville. I look around curiously, taking in the sights of the buildings around me.

"..for the help. Will you be attending the Cake's party in a few days?"

"Flits, you know I'd never miss one. Pinkie parties are the greatest!"

I stop in place, hearing the sounds of two individuals talking to one another nearby. I plant my back against the wall of a nearby house and peer around the corner. There, I get my first look at a pony.

They look nothing like what I expected. Zecora, at least, is clearly recognizable as a zebra at first glance, despite the obvious visual differences. She had the typical white and black stripes, like any normal zebra. These ponies… throw conventional evolutionary reason out the window.

The coat of the first pony I look at is a vibrant shade of sky blue. Its mane is a lighter, pale blue and looks as though it has been personalized, complete with a pink bow on top of her head, similar to how women would style their hair in all sorts of different ways. Its mane falls down one side of its face and frames its extremely expressive face, which is currently smiling as it talks to the other pony.

The other pony is similarly colored, though its mane is messier and somewhat frizzy. They're both talking about some party or another, but I don't pay much attention to the content of their words. Instead, I derive from the timbre of their voices that they're both female… or mares, if you will.

"Right, well, I gotta skedaddle, or Rainbow is going to have my hide," the messy maned pony remarks with a wry smile, turning the other direction. To my surprise, two feathery wings unfurl from her flanks, and she takes to the skies. "Later, sis!"

"Bye, Cloud! See you tonight!" the other mare replies, waving after her. A quick glance lets me know that she too possesses a pair of wings. So there's unicorns, and now pegasi? This just gets more and more strange with every passing moment.

Before I can consolidate my thoughts, the remaining mare starts to walk in my direction. In a few moments, when she passes my hiding place, it would be difficult for her to miss my presence. This means that I no longer have any choice on when to reveal myself. It's probably best that there's only one pony to deal with.

"Hold up a second," I call out to her, announcing my presence. I don't walk out from behind the house just yet.

"Huh?" the mare pauses, her ears flicking at my voice. She looks around for the source, and adopts a worried expression when she doesn't see anyone. "Is somepony there?"

"Yes, but I'm not exactly a pony," I remark, trying to ignore her utter butchering of the word "someone." "I want to ask you something."

"Not a pony? What are you the..." the mare cuts off when she sees me walk around the corner. Her eyes widen and her jaw slowly drops, shock and wonder crossing her face. "O-Oh."

I stop a few paces away from her, making sure not to get too close. It probably wouldn't be good for me if the first pony I met panicked and ran away. Surprisingly though, she doesn't to be that scared. She seems more shy… and a little intrigued.

The mare gulps and bravely walks up to me, brushing her mane out of her eyes with a hoof almost like a human girl would. "Are… you a human?" she stammers. I'm honestly surprised that she knows what I am. She doesn't look like a historian. Are we that common knowledge?

"That's right. I'm surprised you know that," I respond, my tone even. Now that she's this close to me, I notice how small she is. She can't be taller than three feet, so her head reaches up to the middle of my chest. I also notice that she's scared of me. Every slight movement I make causes her eyes to dart and her body to tremble. Yet she's still here, talking to me. I have to hand it to her; she's rather brave. "I'm assuming you're one of the ponies I've heard so much about."

"Well… yes, I am. I'm called Flitter. It's very nice to meet you, sir," the mare responds politely. I raise a brow at her use of the word 'sir.' Having the first pony I meet treat me with respect is more than I expected. "Everypony has at least heard of your kind. I never thought I'd actually meet one."

"You're being very calm about this," I note curiously. "It doesn't strike you as odd that I walk upright like this, in a world filled with quadrupeds?"

Flitter shakes her head. "I mean, I don't see it very often, if that's what you mean. But you aren't the only species that walks on two legs," she reveals to me as I listen with interest. Just how many other species are there that my appearance doesn't shock her? In my era, any species other than us capable of speech would have caused quite the shock among our scientific community. "Um… what's your name?"

"My name is Seth Rogers," I explain to her. I have so many questions I want to ask her, but as it stands, I can't ask information from her without giving some myself. "Tell you what; I'm in town looking for a pony in particular. If you tell me where I can find her, I'll show you something cool."

Flitter tilts her head to one side, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity. "Something cool?" She peers at the rifle that I'm still carrying with me. "Do you mean that stick you have?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know what that is," I assure her with a smirk. I can only imagine how this creature would react if I told her it was an extremely efficient instrument of death. I pull out my phone, using it once again as a means to get information. "Instead, I want to show you this. It's human technology. Curious?"

Flitter nods, craning her head forward to sniff at it. Then, just like I did with Zecora, I settle down next to her and explain the phone's basic functions to her. I even go a little further and show off some of the applications, such as the clock, the calculator, the calendar, and the like. The whole time, she seems enthralled.

I discover from her reactions that ponies also have a twenty four hour system of telling time, as well as a twelve month calendar that incorporates leap years. The similarities to human society is astonishing and rather improbable. Once more, I find myself curious exactly how much time has passed since humanity's destruction. I have no idea where these ponies fit into the equation. Where did they even come from?

"That's so amazing; you really are one of our precursors," Flitter says with awe as I return my phone to my pocket. "Didn't you want to ask me something?"

"Yes, actually. First though, I'm curious. Why do you even know about humans?" I question her first. Zecora stated that we were known to historians, but I didn't realize I'd be recognized on sight.

"Oh, all foals are taught about them in school. A lot of our inventions are based off of human creations," Flitter explains, confirming my earlier suspicions. That would explain why it feels like I'm in a human settlement, except with ponies. "We don't actually know what you look like. We know you stood on two legs and were smaller than minotaurs… I just guessed when I saw you."

"Good guess," I comment, stuck on the fact that she referred to minotaurs as if they were real creatures. So much is being thrown at me ever since I woke up in the school; I think my head is going to explode.

Flitter looks somewhat sheepish as she continues. "There's also a series of books about humans that are pretty good," she reveals to me. I blink, and then I sigh. There's no way anything in those books could be close to accurate.

"Interesting. Anyway, to get back on track, where can I find a pony called Twilight Sparkle?" I asked one more question than I intended to, but showing her the phone should technically entitle me to as many questions as I want.

Flitter seems to know that name, as she immediately answers. "Oh, Twilight? She's our librarian, a pretty well known one. You can usually find her in her home in Golden Oaks Library." She suddenly brightens up, as if getting an idea. "Oh, I'll show you!"

"No, I'd rather you just tell me how to get there," I interrupt before she can bound away. I've already talked to her longer than I should have. I don't want her getting attached. The last thing I need are these ponies trying to be friends with me.

Flitter pauses in the middle of turning around, a sad look forming on her face. "But… why not? It's not that far, and I'd love to show you around," she whined, looking at me with wide, liquid eyes. I wince when I look at her. I didn't realize these ponies could do the cute eyes, like a dog would when it gets in trouble. Unfortunately for her, that doesn't work on me.

"I didn't ask for a tour. I asked for directions," I reply sharply. Now it was her turn to wince at the ice in my tone. "Now are you going to hold up your end of the deal or not?"

"Of course… but…" I fight the urge to groan; Flitter still looks as though she's trying to argue. Stupid mare; you can't just decide you're going to do something and then get upset when it doesn't happen. Especially when that thing involves another person. "Don't you think that if you're with me, other ponies will be quicker to accept you? I may have guessed what you are, but not everypony will."

"You… have a point, I suppose," I grudgingly admit. In the worst case scenario, the ponies would panic. However, accepting Flitter as a companion, even temporary, would just end up in her getting attached. Weighing my options, it's clear which one is the best one. I let out an irritated sigh. "Fine. Lead the way."

Flitter beams happily, and then she turns around and breaks into a trot, a visible spring in her step. I shake my head exasperatedly. I don't see a reason for that to make her so happy, unless she's hoping to show me off to her friends like a trophy. I grit my teeth as I come to that conclusion. Nothing I can do except deal with it, for now.

As she leads me further into the town, I begin to see more ponies. The first thing I notice is that Flitter isn't the exception. Every single one of these ponies are just as brightly colored as she is. After only a few seconds of looking at them, I feel like I can pick out every single color and shade of the rainbow reflected in their coats and manes. The mishmash of color makes me eyes hurt just looking at it all.

I don't see how this makes evolutionary sense. Animals possess drab colors so that they don't stick out of the landscape for predators to see them. Though, I guess it's possible that these ponies have dyed themselves. I glance over at Flitter, but I can't tell from looking at her whether or not her coat is dyed.

Additionally, I notice three different types of ponies. There are the ones with wings, like Flitter, which I going to call pegasi because I can't help but think of the winged horse from Greek mythology. Then, there are those that possess short spiraled horns that look to be made from bone jutting from the tops of their heads. There's no other name I can give them that would make more sense than unicorn. Lastly, there are the ponies that have neither wings nor a horn, and are the closest thing to the ponies I know from my era… apart from the ridiculous colors.

I also can't help but notice that nearly every pony I see has a unique mark on their flanks. Even Flitter has one; hers in in the shape of three insectoid creatures that resemble dragonflies. What on earth does that mean?

I'm broken out of my thoughts when the first pony apart from Flitter notices my presence, it lets out a feminine gasp and points a hoof at me. As if someone had flipped a switch, the chatter in the streets dies down and nearly every pony nearby turns their gazes on me, their eyes wide with curiosity, wonder, and an ever-present hint of fear.

Flitter coughs nervously, her gait growing less confident under all of those stares. I think that it's because she's with me that none of the ponies are panicking. Every time we draw close to a group of ponies, they quickly scatter to make room for us.

"Mommy, what is it?"

"Shh, it can hear you…"

My irritation returns in full force upon hearing that one exchange. Judging from the other quiet whispers I hear, it's not the only one of the sort. Flitter squeaks, seeming to notice how I'm glaring out at the ponies.

"U-Um… so… if you'll look over here…" Flitter interjects before I lose my temper. Glad for the distraction, I turn to see her pointing down one particular street, a forced smile on her face. "Down this way you'll find Sugarcube Corner, where you'll find a wide variety of sweets and desserts for sale!"

I notice that when she started speaking to me, the fear lessened in the eyes of the watching ponies. Oh, I see what she's doing. "'A variety of sweets?' So I'm assuming that doesn't just mean an array of sugarcubes?" I remark sardonically, remembering the typical horse treat in my era. Now all of the watching ponies look surprised. I don't think they expected me to be able to talk.

Flitter shakes her head, her voice coming to her more easily now that we're having a conversation. "Oh no, there's much more than that. Everything from fudge to cakes, Sugarcube Corner has everything! I'd go more often, but…" Flitter pauses, looking with a blush back towards her flank. "All of that fat tends to go to my flank."

I give her a cursory glance, noticing how slender she is. I don't think there's anything about her that could be considered "fat.". "Don't be stupid, go if you want. It's not like you have any fat to lose," I point out. I don't have the patience for girls that talk like that, especially when they look as healthy as can be.

Although my words were spoken out of annoyance, Flitter looks really happy. "You think so?" she responds. I realize what I did a moment later and suppress a groan. Great… she's only going to get more attached. I remain silent so I don't make it any worse, but it looks like the damage has already been done. "Thank you!"

One good thing about that exchange is that the other ponies seem to be relaxing. Chatter starts back up again and life resumes its normal course… or whatever normal is in a village like this.

I've come to the conclusion that these ponies are not that different from humans, in the way that they speak and act. The streets around me are evidence of this; the marked signs hanging from store windows, the tables and chairs set up outside what I assume are restaurants, the mailboxes planted beside the doors of every house; they all look as though they could have been created by us. One would think this would be reassuring. I feel differently. The downside of the ponies being similar to humans… is that they're similar to humans. I'll need to stay on my guard.

Flitter looks shyly at me as we walk. "Would… you want to grab a dessert from Sugarcube Corner later?," she asks. I can't help but sigh this time. I knew it. Thankfully, this provides me with an easy way to deal with that attachment problem. "It would be a great way to introduce you to the Cakes, as well as Pinkie Pie!"

I do my best to keep from raising an eyebrow. What kind of dessert would be called "Pinkie Pie?" I've never heard of a flavor like that. Either way, it's not happening. "No, I would not," I turn her down firmly.

"What? Why not? " Flitter pleads, disappointment evident in her oversized eyes. "I promise you the desserts are delicious!"

"I'm not here for pleasure. I'm here to see Twilight, and nothing more. After I'm done here, you'll probably never see me again," I tell her flatly.

Flitter looks crushed. "You're not coming back? But… I wanted to be fr-"

"Just stop. You're getting on my nerves. I wouldn't have the money to pay for my own dessert even if I did want one. So the answer is no, and that's final," I cut across her coldly. Flitter looks as though she wants to say something, but she decides better of it, instead lowering her head and nodding sadly. "Good. Now how much further to the library?"

"Just a little further…" Flitter responds listlessly. The spring in her step is gone now, and she's hanging her head slightly. I nod, satisfied. She'd only feel worse if she got involved with me. I hear her then say in a quieter voice. "I would have paid for your dessert…"

I think about replying to that, but I decide not to. I've gotten my point across; I don't need to rub salt in the wound.

* * *

Flitter comes to a stop at the end of a T-shaped intersection; the street continues forward ahead of me, and forks off to my left. "We're here! Just down the street is Gold Oaks Library," the mare announces. "Twilight should still be in; she doesn't leave her home that often this late in the evening."

I look in the direction she's indicating. From here, all I can see is a row of buildings, with the branches of a large tree towering over the rooftops. I don't see anything that looks like a library. "What, next to the tree?" I question.

Flitter giggles and shakes her head. "No, it is the tree," she corrects me.

I nod dumbly. "Right, it is the tree." It takes me a few seconds to realize what she just said. I turn my head to her with a deadpan expression. "What."

The mare seems to find this incredibly amusing for some reason. "Just go take a look, you'll see," she promises me. I huff in annoyance; that tells me nothing.

"I guess I will," I grunt. There's nothing left for me to do here. Without wasting any time, I break away from Flitter and head for the left street, where the library supposedly is.

"Hey," Flitter calls after me. I pause and turn my head to see her standing a few paces away, gazing at me with hesitant eyes. I say nothing, waiting for her to continue. "It was nice meeting you."

Without another word, I turn back forward and continue on my way. The next time I look back, Flitter is gone. No doubt she headed back into town.

I turn the corner and navigate towards the extremely large tree at the end of the street. Once I'm close enough to make out its features, I understand what Flitter was talking about. Similar to Zecora's hut, there's a house built into the wide trunk.

It looks as though there's at least two floors, as there are two layers of circular glass windows. In the upper branches, there's a wooden balcony with a telescope on top and an entrance into the upper floors. Finally, a bright red door made for ponies is set directly into the front.

I have no way of knowing whether or not this is Golden Oaks Library, due to the fact the sign hanging beside the door is written in… I guess the language would be called Equestrian. I suppose there's only one way to find out.

Just as I'm taking my first steps towards the treehouse, the door slams open. "..great, I'll see you there! Whee!" a bright pink blur zooms out of the entrance so fast I can't keep track of its trajectory. Before I can react, something barrels into my chest at top speed, knocking me over. "Whoop!"

"Aaah!" I cry out in agony as I hit the ground, pain exploding from my side as though someone had just hit me with a sledgehammer. The suffering is so intense that I can't move. I breathe in frantically in an attempt to catch my breath, but end up inhaling dirt in the process, causing me to hack and cough violently. I'm scared to look at the bandage on my side. "F-Fuck!"

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I just have so much to do, what with the upcoming super awesome party hosted by yours truly, and all the deliveries I still have yet to do that I can't be late for, I just didn't see you there…"

Whoever it is that's apologizing to me has the most annoyingly high-pitched voice I've ever heard. She's also talking a mile a minute, the words practically gushing from her mouth like a waterfall. I ignore her at first, using my rifle to steadily rise back to my feet. My side is afire with white hot pain and feels warm; I really hope it hasn't started bleeding again.

She just won't stop. The pony talking possesses a bright pink coat and a darker pink mane that is impossibly frizzy. Her eyes are a light blue, and the mark on her flank is of three balloons. The moment she sees what I am, she lets out a loud over-exaggerated gasp, her body physically lifting into the air in a seemingly impossible manner. A wide grin stretches across her whole face, and then she immediately starts to gush words again.

"..never seen anything like you, which must mean you're a new species the world has never seen! How exciting! Ooh! I nearly forgot. If I've never seen anything like you that means you haven't been around for long, and that would mean you wouldn't have any friends, which means I can…"

She talks so fast and so high-pitched, a headache starts to form in my head. My patience wears thinner and thinner, until finally I snap. "Jesus Christ, shut up!" I yell loud enough to be heard over her inane rambling. Not only does she stop mid-sentence, but every other pony nearby looks shocked speechless. I give the pink pony a withering glare. "Can't you stop talking for one second and get some damn perspective!? I could care less about your 'super awesome party' or whatever nonsense you were talking about when you may have just reopened that wound in my side!"

My voice has risen to a shout at that point, causing the pony's ears to flatten and her expression to turn distraught. My right hand is clenched tightly to my side, hoping that no real damage was done.

The pink pony's eyes trail down to the bandages on my side, and understanding dawns in her eyes. Her expression looks genuinely apologetic after that, her hoof brushing at the ground nervously. "Oh… I'm so sorry… I didn't realize that…" she tries to say, but just hearing her voice is enough to irritate me again.

"If you're so sorry, then just keep quiet and get out of my way. I don't have time for this," I interrupt her once more. Bracing myself on a nearby wall, I limp past her and head for the library, leaving the annoying pony behind. 

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**  
Just from reading over the original, I determined that early Seth was a horrible character. It seems like he was there just to talk smack about the pony world, and never took anything that seriously, except when it was time for him to throw his next tantrum. It was also boring. A back and forth between him and Zecora telling the readers what they already knew. In addition, I was surprised at the sheer amount of curse words Seth used in his narrative and his dialogue. It seemed wholly unnecessary. As my editor and friend ScootalooFTW pointed out, it seemed as though early me had no idea how to express Seth's character, so I relied upon cursing as a "crutch" of sorts. He also pointed out that it didn't make sense for Seth to accept her healing and meals so easily, when he pitches such a fit later in the story about every little thing.

Therefore, my objectives in this rewrite were:

-Streamline the story's structure and flow to make for easier reading.

-Flesh out the dialogue to make the town entry seem less rushed and less "weak"

-Adjust Seth's character to make him more in line with my original vision, as well as to make him consistent with future chapters

-Remove Seth's unnecessary cursing. He still should curse, but not nearly as much. Previously, it was like he knew no other words.

-Do a better job describing the world from the point of view of a newcomer. Previously, I discovered that had him draw from meta without even realizing it (EG, calling the wolves 'timberwolves' without ever being told what they were')

-Remove all of the unnecessary headcanons. Zecora rhyming because of poison joke? Why was that necessary? One of my goals is to insert as little of my own headcanon as possible so that reading this story doesn't require much effort from the readers in order to envision.

-Remove all of the dumb references. If I have to rely upon references to other works of fictions in order to describe something, I'm a weak writer.

Don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I didn't get any reviews last time because I was dumb enough to post on the day of the Super Bowl.


	4. Memories of Another Time

A shroud of silence falls over the street after my encounter with the bright pink pony. Some of the ponies that had been nearby scattered at the sound of my raised voice, while the remainder are looking at me with fear and anger, as opposed to the fear and wonder I was getting earlier. I wonder if yelling at that pony is what made them angry?

I glance back towards where the pony had run into me to see that she's gone. There's no sign of her no matter where I look. Was that pony someone that the other townsfolk are fond of? If so, that would explain the glares I'm getting now. I suppose I should thank her. It makes my job easier if I don't have ponies trying to be friendly all the time.

More importantly, I check my side. It's throbbing painfully, as though I'm being repeatedly struck with a hammer. I sigh in relief once I determine that I'm not bleeding hard enough to soak through the bandages. I'd be furious if that damned pony had injured me again. I don't know if these ponies have a decent medical system. If anything, it would be similar to early industrial medicine. I wince; if that's true, then I am extremely lucky to have found an herbalist to treat me.

Now, I should move on to the task at hand. Ahead of me is the large tree house. Now that I'm this close, I notice that the sign hanging beside the door has a smaller image of a stack of books. There's no question; this is the library.

Just as I start to approach the tree, the door opens to reveal a normal pony with a brown coat. This one looks noticeably different from the other ponies I've seen so far in that it's larger and its muscles are more pronounced. Additionally, its jaw is rougher and squarish. Is this what a stallion looks like in this world?

"Thanks for the help, sir. Do give my regards to Twilight, will you?" the pony calls back into the library. Sure enough, his timbre is instantly recognizable as male. He sounds remarkably well spoken as well, each of his words articulated clearly. The stallion traipses out from the threshold with a pleased expression. I also notice that he's wearing a set of saddlebags similar to what humans would use to store cargo for long distances. Inside of them are the books that I assume he just checked out. He swings his head forward. "What a nice young lad!"

The stallion opens his eyes to see me standing to the side of the street ahead and to his right, my curious eyes resting on him. He slows down stops dead in place, his jaw falling open. "My word, is that a… oh dear, how fascinating," he emits with awe, stepping somewhat closer.

"Do I look like some kind of zoo exhibit? Turn your gaze," I respond irritably. I don't appreciate how he seems to be regarding me like some sort of exotic animal. If anything, that's how I should be viewing him, if I had the time or desire.

He jumps, startled at my sudden speech. He dips his head apologetically. "Oh, pardon me, I did not mean to offend. I'll just get out of your way," he retracts hastily, and then he breaks into a canter, moving around me and out of sight.

I approach the still open door next, glad to be rid of the interruption. This place doesn't look that big for a library, so I'm hoping there won't be any more ponies getting in my way. Judging from what the stallion said, however, there's likely two ponies in there.

There's also no way to ease myself into the introduction like I did with Flitter, so there's no point in hesitating. I ignore the hint of dread that I'm feeling and step through the door. I have to duck to avoid hitting my head on the door frame, due to it being made for ponies about half my size.

I close the door behind me, and then I get my first look at the inside of the library. Just like Zecora's hut, the room appears to have been carved directly into the inside of the trunk. Unlike Zecora's hut, however, the surfaces appear to be smoothed and polished, making the risk of splinters almost non-existent.

Shelves stocked full of books of varying colors and thicknesses are set into the walls all along circumference of the room. Paper tabs jut out from between books at regular intervals. I can't read the text on them, but it's easy to figure out that they're used to organize or categorize the books for ease of use.

The shelves are probably pretty high by pony standards, but the top shelf only rests about a foot or two above my head, such that I can easily reach it with my arm.

Directly in the center of the room is a table carved from a stump that was likely once the heartwood of the tree. Surrounding it are six blue cushions to be used as seats, I assume. On top of the table is a large horsehead idol carved from a different type of wood, appearing lighter in color than the rosy wood surrounding me. The surface of the table and idol both are spotless, devoid of any blemishes or dust. In fact, the same could be said for the rest of the room. It's immaculately clean.

Looking up, I notice the expansive mural of a blazing golden sun stretching across the majority of the ceiling. I remember Zecora mentioning something along the lines of a "Solar Princess." I wonder if that and this mural are connected in some way. Come to think of it, I'm certain that's the case. Zecora told me Twilight was the personal student of the Solar Princess. What would someone so important be doing out here in the country?

I take a few steps forward, continuing to look around the interesting interior. Whether or not I care for ponies, their architecture gives me the feeling that I've walked into a fantasy, and it's spectacular.

There's a flight of stairs that curves inward and climbs up the far wall, leading to a second floor. Just behind the stairs, I notice an open archway that leads to a kitchen that looks surprisingly modern, given my assumption of pony technology.

The sound of a book hitting the floor startles me out of my thoughts. I look around to find a most peculiar sight. Standing at the corner made between the stairs and the wall is a purple creature standing on two feet, complete with green spikes climbing up its back. It looks reptilian in nature due to the scales lining its body, but it doesn't look like any reptile I've ever seen. What on earth is that?

The lizard widens its eyes, and its jaw drops in horror, leading me to believe that this creature is also sapient. Its claw is open and trembling, the book resting open on the floor just beneath it. Unlike the ponies in the street, the lizard shows nothing but fear for me.

Before I can say anything, the lizard scrambles up the stairs at a breakneck pace. "Aaaah! Twilight, there's a monster in the library!" it screams in a panicked young male voice, confirming my suspicions about its sapience. This world just never ceases to confuse me.

"Give me a break… I should be saying that to you," I grumble, resting my face in my palm. After all, he looks more monstrous than I do. I stand still with my hands in my pockets, waiting for the lizard to return with Twilight.

The door to the second floor slams open and a pony mare bursts out, leaping down the stairs and transfixing me with a determined glare. The horn on her head lights up a bright magenta. It gives me an ominous feeling, so I try to distance myself from her, but I find that I'm completely unable to move.

"What the…" I grunt and strain, but no matter how hard I try, I can't even so much as twitch a muscle. I then realize that I am completely encompassed in the same magenta aura that's shimmering around her horn. Is she doing this?

She has to be. I remember Zecora telling me that Twilight was skilled in magic. Assuming this is Twilight, she must be using magic to immobilize me. I can't help but have flashbacks to the spell I saw Sombra casting in the stairwell of my school.

I feel strange. All of the hairs on my body are standing on end, goosebumps forming on my flesh. I feel the air humming all round me, as if it was charged with static electricity. Additionally, I feel a strange pressure in my chest that hadn't been there before, emanating directly from the center of my torso.

Because I'm completely unable to move, I focus on the pony in front of me instead. Like the other ponies I've seen, her coat isn't a natural color, being a shade of soft lavender. Her mane and tail are a deep blue, with two regular stripes of purple and magenta running through them. Her orderly mane is groomed and curls around one side of her head to rest neatly on her neck. Her large violet eyes are fixed on me in a glare that quickly turns to surprise and awe once she gets a clear look at me.

"That's… that's not a monster, Spike, that's a human! I can't believe it!" Twilight gasps, a wide smile slowly forming on her face. The lizard, whom she addressed as Spike, peeks out from behind her, looking no less afraid.

"What's a human? How can you tell?" Spike questions, his voice still trembling.

"It's easy! Humans are bipedal and have thinner skeletal structures than a standard minotaur, but don't have curved spines and elongated skulls like the diamond dogs do, so this _has_ to be a human!" Twilight analyzes me with a single look before I can even think of a response. She looks up at me, addressing me directly. "Are you intelligent? Can you talk?"

I try to move my mouth and find that I can. "Yes, now that you've given me a chance to get a word in edgewise," I snap, causing the both of them to flinch. "Is this how you treat all of your guests? I don't exactly feel very welcome."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I just reacted when Spike yelled," Twilight apologizes quickly, and the glow from her horn dies away. I grunt uncomfortably as I feel the magic dissipate, my muscles tensing up instinctively now that they're free to move. The pressure in my chest also fades away, so I put it out of my mind, assuming that was an effect of the magic.

"Well how was I supposed to know? All the two legged things I've seen haven't exactly been friendly," Spike retorted defensively. "I still don't know what a human is."

"Ask your friend later; I didn't come here to be gawked at like an animal on exhibit." An edge creeps into my voice, revealing my growing irritation to the two of them.

"Yes of course, I'm sorry," Twilight apologizes again, her ears folding back. "But can I ask you one tiny little question?"

"What?"

"I am correct about you being a human, right?" Twilight questions nervously. I give her a nod of confirmation, much to her relief. Her smile reappears and widens, and the mare bounces up and down on the tips of her hooves. "This is so exciting! I thought you were all extinct! There have been no humans in Equestria for over three thousand years!"

"Don't get too excited; I'm not here to ease your scientific curiosity," I warn her. Then, her words register in my mind. My breath catches in my throat, and my blood runs cold. "Wait. Humans haven't been seen in _how long?_ "

"Three thousand! You're the oldest civilization we know of, dating all the way back before early pony civilization. Yet you're also the most influential, because…" Twilight pauses when she sees my shaking shoulders. She tilts her head. "Are you okay?"

Everything is starting to fall into place in my mind. King Sombra sent me to the future; that much is undeniable. However, I was wrong in assuming that it had only been eighty years. Humanity fell in eighty years or more, but it's been much longer than that. Three thousand years...that's such a staggering number. Not only does that explain why my old college looked like an ancient ruin, but it also explains why the landscape is so drastically different than I remember. Zecora was right… humans, and everything we were… are really nothing but dust now.

I back up, leaning on the table in the center of the room. My mind is rebelling against this entire situation. How am I supposed to deal with this? Two days ago, my biggest worry was recovering from poor performance on my last exam. Now I'm the only living human three thousand years in the future.

I resist the urge to break something. Once again, I question how any of this is fair. What is the point of me standing here, in Equestria, right now? Why did Sombra send me here in the first place? Why in god's name did it have to be me?

"Um… sir?" Twilight stepped a bit closer, looking at me with confusion. When she still doesn't get an answer, she swallows and tries a different tack. "Where did you come from? Are there still humans hiding away somewhere?"

"No," I tell her in a low voice. I thought I would be more upset by this. I thought that I'd feel something more about the fact that I've left everything I've known far behind. Instead, I just feel a dull emptiness. The only other emotion I feel is a burning rage deep inside of me that's been steadily growing, directed towards this whole situation, and Sombra himself. "There's no humans left. It's just me… and _don't_ look at me like that, I didn't ask for it."

The moment I said I was the last human, Twilight's eyes grew wide and she started to look at me with sympathy, which is what prompted me to snap at her. An awkward silence falls between us. Eventually, Spike starts to sidle away.

"I'm… just gonna go make some tea," he stammers, and then he zips into the kitchen so fast he leaves a dust cloud behind.

Twilight brightens up at that. "That's a wonderful idea! You must have come to me for a reason; why don't you share your story with me over a warm cup of tea?"

I rub my chin, considering her offer. I have no interest in sharing anything with her, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can get anything out of her without doing something in return. I don't necessarily care for tea, but I am thirsty.

"Do whatever you want. I just have a few questions I want to ask you," I answer her finally, crossing my arms.

"Great! I have a multitude of questions I want to ask you as well! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" The apathy in my voice doesn't seem to faze her; instead, Twilight just beams and turns the other direction, her tail brushing the table as she went. "Come on, I'll lead you to the kitchen."

I wordlessly follow Twilight into the doorway behind the stairs, getting my first look at the kitchen. As I noted before, the technology here seems to much more modern than I originally anticipated. The reason I say that is due to the large refrigerator tucked into one corner of the room. It looks similar to one I'd see in a typical human household. Yet, that implies that ponies are further than the industrial era. Refrigeration in homes wasn't achieved until the early twentieth century.

Confused, I continue to observe the room. A counter stretches out from the refrigerator, complete with drawers, overhanging cabinets, and a dual sink. Beside that what looks suspiciously like an electric stove, complete with dials. I spot a toaster as well on top of the counter, along with a coffee maker.

To further compound my increasing confusion, there's one extra anomaly that all of these appliances share: each of them has a translucent, faintly luminescent orb made of a material I can't identify set into where their circuitry should be. Additionally, there are no LCD displays on any of these devices, unlike a modern kitchen. Furthermore, the toaster and coffeemaker I notice don't have any cords. I finally have to admit that pony technology makes no sense to me. Do these appliances use something other than electricity as a power source?

Spike stands atop a wooden footstool beside the stove, where he is no doubt brewing the aforementioned tea. A dark green kettle rests on the stove in front of him, steaming gently from the spout. He gives a lazy wave to Twilight as she enters with me. "The tea is almost done!" he announces.

Twilight nods and leads me to a decently sized table made of a lighter shade of wood. Seven stools are situated around it, one of which Twilight sits down in. As far as I can see, only she and this lizard live here, so the number of stools seems rather excessive to me. Either way, I lean my rifle against the wall and then take a seat across from her without waiting for an invitation.

The table is a little low, but not so low that I'd struggle to eat from it. Glancing at Twilight reveals that our sitting height is relatively the same, give or take a few inches. That's likely because half of my height comes from my legs; Twilight can sit on her haunches like that and maintain most of her own height.

I look back to Twilight. An infinite maelstrom of questions concerning pony civilization and technology rages in my head. I'm curious, but none of the answers are relevant in the end. They won't help me find Sombra.

Twilight coughs nervously beneath my focused gaze. "Could I start by learning your name?" she requests, trying to push past the awkward silence between us.

"Seth Rogers," I respond curtly. That much I can give her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rogers," Twilight returns happily with a nod and a smile. She offers her hoof out for me to shake. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

I eye her outstretched hoof with veiled surprise. That looks like she's asking for a handshake, but that doesn't make sense to me. Handshakes are human, and were supposedly invented as a means of showing another that an individual was unarmed. The fact that she's offering that to me suggests that at one point in pony history, they were capable of wielding weapons in their hooves. Looking at the underside of her hoof, there's nothing to suggest a gripping mechanism of any kind.

Twilight's smile falters when I don't make any indications of accepting her hoof. She withdraws her hoof and gives a nervous laugh. "So… you said you had some questions to ask me?"

"You first," I decide, crossing my arms. It would be best to take care of that first. I don't intend on staying long once she's helped me determine where Sombra can be found.

"Are you sure? I uh… I have a lot of questions," Twilight admits with a sheepish grin. A moment later, I hear the kettle whistle as the water inside reaches a boil. Spike leaps down from the stool he's standing on and carries a tray of delicate porcelain cups over to us. Once he gets close enough, the tray is encompassed by a magenta glow and lifts itself out of Spike's claws.

I watch with interest as Twilight levitates the tray onto the table without any sign of strain, her horn glowing the same shade of magenta. Magic indeed… scientists could never do something like that without the use of an exterior force, and certainly not to that degree of precision. The tray never even wobbled once.

"I obviously won't let you keep me for very long," I retract. I don't miss the look of disappointment that briefly flashes on her face. I realize I'm being vague about that, so I decide to be more specific. "Three topics. That's all you can ask me about."

"Only three? Can't I persuade you to raise that to maybe five? Or seven? Ten?" Twilight can't help but protest that, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's not hard to tell what kind of person she is. "...Twenty-three?"

"Absolutely not. I'm being more than generous already, considering I only have one question that I particularly need answered," I cut across her firmly before she can try to raise that number to even more absurd heights. Twilight's resulting disappointment is so visible that I could swear I'm looking at a dog whose food was just eaten in front of it. "Besides, you didn't get a scholar or an engineer. I'm a student. I've done my fair share of reading, but all I can give you is random facts at the most."

"I understand that, but what I'm most interested in is your culture and society. You said you were a student? Already that raises scores of questions about your educational system that only you could answer!" Twilight argues, her rump practically bouncing in her seat. She proceeds to give me a pleading expression, her eyes wide and liquid. "What if I offer to answer some questions about pony society? Can I have at least five topics? Please?"

"I bet you just want to write a book on what I tell you and get rich," I point out, unmoved by her vain attempts to be cute. "What other reason would you have to ask me so many questions?"

"Write a book? I suppose I could, but first and foremost, I want to learn from you. You possess a veritable wellspring of potential knowledge that I'd love to research, and nothing would make me happier. That's my reason!" Twilight at first looks taken aback by my cynicism, but it isn't long before she's excited again, leaning over the table somewhat.

I don't buy that for a second. If I'm truly a precursor race about whom little is known, then anything I tell her would be worth a great deal. As if I'd really believe that she just wants to learn for learning's sake when it comes to humanity.

"I'd just tell her what she wants to know, buddy. Otherwise she'll just chase you around," Spike chimes in with a wry grin, hopping up on a stool beside the two of us. He withers beneath the glare that I send his way.

"I don't remember asking for your input," I snap at him, irritated at the interruption. I then turn my stare back onto Twilight. "You get four. That's all I'm willing to give. If you 'chase me around' like your lizard friend said, it will not end well for you."

"Hey, I'm a dragon!" Spike protests indignantly. Upon hearing that, I glance at him in shock, taking in his features once more. It's true that he looks nothing like any lizard I've seen, but these ponies also don't look like any pony I've seen. My skeptical thoughts are stifled when Spike opens his mouth and spits a mild tongue of green flame into the air that swiftly fizzles out.

I try to sort out this new information in my head. Ponies, pegasi, unicorns, minotaurs, diamond dogs, zebras, and now dragons? Just how many new sapient species am I going to discover? It's almost as though mythology is coming to life before my eyes.

Twilight sighs sadly. "Don't worry, I won't do anything of the sort. I'll respect your decision." Thankfully, she seems to have gotten the idea that I'm in no mood to be interrogated.

With her levitation magic, Twilight lifts the kettle and pours the still steaming tea into each of the three cups. The liquid is a greenish brown and doesn't look very appetizing. Contrary to that visual assessment, it smells pleasantly of citrus.

Once she's finished, Twilight and Spike take their respective cups, the former with her levitation and the latter with a claw. I notice them looking at me, so I reach for the third cup. It's smaller than what I'm used to, but the handle is wide enough to encompass my whole hand. It seems as though this handle was made for hooves.

I take a tentative sip of the drink and find that it tastes similar to how it smells. It's just sweet and fruity enough to be appealing. It also leaves an earthy aftertaste in my mouth once the citrus fades away. I smack my lips with surprise. I've never tasted a tea quite like this. What sort of plants did the manufacturers use to make this?

Once I've sampled the beverage, I set the cup down and stare at Twilight. "Go ahead and start asking. Best get this out of the way sooner rather than later," I tell her. Despite how uncaring my words are, it's like I flipped a switch. Twilight's excitement returns with full force.

"Yes, of course! Give me one moment, I'll be back in a flash!" Twilight's horn lights up and then she winks out of existence with a magenta flash of light and a minor burst of ethereal wisps swirling in the air where she once sat.

I blink, at a loss. What did I just witness? One moment she was there, and then she was gone. Spike doesn't seem perturbed at all by her sudden disappearance, either, so I suppose this is another magical ability she's capable of?

A moment later, Twilight reappears back in her stool with a similar burst of light. Before the light fades, an assortment of notebooks, parchment, inkwells, and quills arrange themselves on the table. Twilight quickly lifts a quill, unscrews the top of an inkwell, and dips said quill inside, all with her dextrous levitation.

This is too much. First immobilization, then levitation, and now teleportation? Everything she does defies every known law of physics that I've ever studied. What else is this one unicorn capable of?

"First, I want you to tell me if any of these facts are wrong. This is a summary of the knowledge I have on humans," Twilight begins, opening up a notebook on her left. Inside, as she flips through it, I see pages and pages of carefully written notes, though I can't read any of it. "Humans are an upright sapient species equipped with dextrous extremities and opposable thumbs, allowing them to create small, yet infinitely complex technological constructs retaining a great deal of data," Twilight begins, talking faster as she relates all of this information to me. "Judging from detailed studies of the human skeletal structure, it's been determined that they are omnivores, and appear to be physically weaker than the average minotaur when compared side by side. These observations led us to conclude that humanity must possess some less evident means of evening the odds in their favor."

Twilight just isn't stopping. She flips through her notes rapidly, talking so fast that it's difficult to understand everything she says. However, everything she's describing seems to be spot on. She knows far more about humans than I do about ponies.

"That's how we came to the conclusion that humans must have access to some manner of offensive magic in order to ward off more physically fit predators. We hypothesize that the magical core is located within either the skull or the bony center of the ribcage, as both areas possess sufficient bone density and proximity to the rest of the body to support such." Now, Twilight dips into the subject of magic, and half of what she says means nothing to me. I'm not entirely sure what a magical core is supposed to be, but I do know that she's wrong. "Therefore, I'd be very interested in…"

"Stop," I say, holding up a hand as if to halt the flood of words coming towards me. Twilight pauses and blinks with a bemused expression. "You're talking so fast that even if I wanted to tell you something, I wouldn't be able to."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Twilight giggles sheepishly, adjusting her bangs with a hoof. "I just got so excited to share all of this with you, the first human in Equestria in three millennia!"

"Gee, I never would have guessed." The sarcasm practically drips from my words, causing Twilight to look even more sheepish. Beside her, Spike is snickering behind a claw. "Also, you're wrong."

"I am?" Twilight's eyes go wide, and then she frantically flips through her notebook, her quill at the ready. It's rather surreal to watch, as she's doing it all with her telekinetic abilities. "About which facet? Oh, I was sure I researched everything correctly…"

"Stop freaking out. It's not just you that's wrong. You're all wrong. Humans don't have magic," I finally correct her, rubbing my forehead. I wish Zecora had warned me that Twilight would be so neurotic. It's giving me a headache. "We never have."

"What? But all evidence seems to support that theory! Multiple scientists have all come to this same conclusion!" Twilight protests. She zips from the table and returns in a flash with a stack of books that she pulled from the main room. The tea cups rattle as she plonks them all down on the table at once. "Here's where I got my sources, you'll see that…"

"Put those books away. I couldn't care less about what your scientist ponies have said," I interrupt her again, my irritation starting to show in my voice. "Why are you trying to argue with me anyway? I _am_ a damned human; are you trying to suggest you know more about my kind than I do?"

Twilight's ears flatten, chastened by my words. "Oh no, I'm sorry. It's just that if you never had magic, then that would disprove a long held theory. Not to mention, hundreds of textbooks would have to be recalled. I can imagine the archaeology and science departments would have to completely alter their approach..." she explained hastily.

"I get the picture," I interject wryly. This has to be the wordiest person I've ever met, the fact that she's a pony notwithstanding. I notice that she's now scribbling in her notebook, the quill scratching audibly on the parchment. "You're right, we were physically weaker than our predators. So we improvised with our intellect, using the environment to our advantage to craft weapons and armor that steadily rose in complexity as time went on. To put it simply, our society was built on science and technology, not magic."

Twilight nods and scribbles furiously, writing down everything I say and then more. Once she's done, she lifts up the quill. "Science… so you're referring to electricity and machinery, correct?" she questions.

"This is your second topic," I tell her calmly, sipping from the cup of tea some more.

Twilight bristles at that. "What? No it isn't! This all part of one singular branching topic; the verification of my research!" she protests.

"You wanted to know about our nonexistent magic and our technology. Those are two different topics," I argue back, setting down the tea and transfixing her with a stare.

Twilight stubbornly shakes her head. "No, those are two different _questions_ , all pertaining to the topic of my research. You said four topics, not four questions," she reasons.

"That _is_ what you said," Spike agrees with her, the little dragon having just finished his tea.

"You've got to be kidding me," I groan. I can't believe this damned pony just used the wording of our agreement against me.

"Hey, it's your fault for being vague," Spike remarks. "If there's a loophole, Twilight will find it."

"Spike!" Twilight chastises the dragon with a scandalized expression. As much as this makes me angry, I can't argue with it. I did specifically use the word "topics." I mentally berate myself for slipping up like that.

"Fine, whatever," I give in with bad grace. "To answer your question, yes, I am referring to electricity and machinery. I'm surprised you know about all of that. I haven't seen anything electrical since I arrived."

"Of course! Most of our technology is based off of yours, who came before us. We've discovered some of your technology deep in human ruins. Unfortunately, what we find is usually too deteriorated to be of much use, but we have managed to reverse engineer some of it and integrate it into our existing magical constructs," Twilight explains excitedly. I nod, finding that to make sense. That would explain why Ponyville looks very similar to a human settlement. "We have managed to recreate electricity, but it's a costly avenue of research that requires a great deal of natural resources and infrastructure. Because of that, only the richer ponies can afford to use it. After all, we have magic as a power source, and it's infinitely more cost-effective than electricity, as we produce it within our own bodies."

"I see. That explains why none of your appliances have any cords." My gaze travels over to the appliances in question. Judging from what she's telling me, those run on magic. I suppose that explains the glowing orb set into each of them. This raises a lot more questions, however, such as how magical energy is stored and what materials are necessary to store and use magic. I'm also curious if there's magical circuitry that works similar to electric circuitry. "Now, do you have any further questions about our technology that relate to your research? I don't want to be here all night, so make them quick."

"Yes! I'd like ask you more about human technology as well as your development over time; for example, we know you possessed computing technology, but our discoveries hint at…"

"Twilight!" I interrupt. She closes her mouth, looking a bit put out. "What did I _just_ say?"

"That you didn't want to be here all night," Twilight repeats, the mare blushing with embarrassment. "Okay, I'll move onto my second topic. I'm… actually a little nervous about asking this."

"What?" I ask with suspicion. At first I think she's going to ask me about human mating habits or something equally disturbing, but then after looking at her face, I notice that she's starting to sweat a little, a hint of fear entering her eyes.

"I know you're omnivorous, but… what sorts of… um… _food_ do you eat?" Twilight timidly asks.

"Not ponies, if that's what you're asking," I tell her dryly, picking up the meaning of her question. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why her mood suddenly changed. Sure enough, her sigh of relief is clearly visible. "Let me guess, you're all strictly herbivores?"

When Twilight nods, it's my turn to sigh. I like my greens as much as the average person, but I also greatly enjoyed meat such as hamburger and the like. If I'm suddenly living in a world of vegetarians, I'll have no choice but to adapt, because I know nothing about hunting. Plus, I'm pretty sure hunting wouldn't be viewed well here. I'll have to make sure I can get a decent source of iron and protein.

"Look, it's really not important. I've eaten meat before, but if it isn't readily available, I'll adapt as best I can to your diet," I tell her impatiently.

"That's a relief. The other omnivorous species we know of aren't that friendly," Twilight responded, wiping her brow with a hoof. It's weird to see all these human mannerisms coming from a pony. "Now then, how many times do you eat a day? Are there social aspects to eating together? How about..."

I mentally groan, realizing exactly what I've gotten myself into. Twilight's thirst for knowledge is insatiable. She continues to ask me more and more branching questions, to which I respond with short, clipped answers. Eventually, I have to push her to move onto the next topic.

She asks me next about our educational system, as she remembered that I called myself a student. It's a harmless topic, so I proceed to tell her about the different levels of education, starting from primary school all the way up to college and graduate school. Twilight fervently writes down everything I tell her, filling up several pages worth of notes.

I also learn a bit about pony education. They have colleges like we do, though they're mostly free except for the room and board, and are generally only available in the larger cities. Other than that, they have varying levels of schooling depending on the town. Once they come of age, the ponies choose whether or not to start work or go to a university. All in all, it seems like a simpler educational system than ours, though it sounds just as hard.

"You seem awfully willing to share details about your civilization to me," I can't help but point out after we finished talking about education. I never asked for her to give me all of this information on pony society.

Twilight beams. "Certainly! You don't seem to understand; if you're the first human we've ever met, that makes what we're doing right now similar to a cultural exchange! We're sharing information with one another about each other's respective species!"

"It would only be considered a cultural exchange if there were other humans that would learn from this," I remind her coldly, causing her smile to drop from her face. "In case you'd forgotten, it's just me. Once I'm gone, humans are just going to go back to being extinct."

Once more, Twilight's enthusiasm is snuffed out, and she lowers her head apologetically, her ears drooping. "I know you said you didn't ask for it, but I'm sorry nonetheless. Everything about your kind is so fascinating and wondrous," Twilight says to me, giving me a sympathetic look that only serves to anger me. Before I can snap at her, however, she continues. "That actually leads me to my fourth topic, one I've been saving for last. If you're the only human left, how are you here now?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," I remark, settling down now that the subject has been changed. "Good, this ties into what I was going to ask you, so I'll take care of both at the same time."

I finish my tea in a few quick gulps, and then I set the cup down on the table. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, doing my best to dispel the fury I feel rising just from thinking about the root cause of this whole situation.

Twilight watches me expectantly, no doubt wondering why I'm taking so long to answer her. When I open my eyes, she winces, taken aback by the sudden intensity in my gaze.

"You consider yourself to be well-informed?" I begin, surprising myself with how level my voice is. Twilight confirms that with a nod. "I want you to tell me everything you know about someone called King Sombra, including where I can find him."

"King Sombra? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone like that." Twilight's answer causes my spirits to plummet and my frustration to rise. Zecora led me to believe that Twilight would have the answers to all of my questions, considering she's the student of the "Solar Princess."

Twilight look to Spike curiously, only for the dragon to shake his head and hold up his claws in a shrug. She glances back to me. "Who is that? Is he a pony, or is he a human like you?"

"I was hoping you would be able to tell me that," I respond, an edge creeping into my voice out of frustration. "He wore the shape of a human, yet he was anything but."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asks curiously, writing more lines in her notebook.

"Firstly, his coloring was off. Humans range from a very dark brown to a pale tan, but Sombra's skin was ash gray," I describe to her, knowing full well that most of that wouldn't make sense to her. Twilight lit up at the mention of human skin color, such that she flipped a few pages and scribbled that fact down.

"Could it have been a genetic mutation?" Twilight intelligently suggests.

"It would have been possible, if unlikely. However, the kicker is that he used magic; as I explained earlier, humans can't use magic," I reveal to her. "That's why I'm here. He used some sort of spell to send me through time to this era. Therefore, it follows that he is from this era as well."

"He sent you _through time!?_ " Twilight gasps in shock, her voice rising shrilly. I give a terse nod. "Of course, you're from the past! That would explain why nopony has ever seen you before, and how you appeared to come from nowhere. But how is that possible?"

"Time travel? Twilight, didn't you do something like that in the past?" Spike rejoins, looking interested and somewhat smug for some reason. "You know, when you were convinced you had to prevent some disaster from occurring?"

Twilight flushed with embarrassment. "Spike! Mr. Rogers doesn't need to hear about that," she scolds him hastily, causing Spike to snicker beneath a claw.

"I think I do. You make it sound like you went to the past yourself," I lean forward, feeling a faint trace of hope emerge from the emptiness inside of me. If Sombra used a spell to bring me here, it follows that there may be a spell that could do the opposite. "I will sit here for as long as you need me and answer every question you have without rest or food, as long as you get me that spell. I want to go home."

Twilight looks taken aback by the fervor in my voice. I grow anxious when I see her expression turn somewhat shifty. She looks down at the table. "Look, Mr…"

"Stop calling me that. Just Seth is fine," I interrupt her before she can continue. It just feels wrong when she addresses me like that.

"Look, Seth, do you remember how far back in the past you came from? Twilight questions me after correcting herself

"Over three thousand years, according to you," I remind her. Twilight's face falls.

"I have some bad news for you. While the spell in question certainly does allow for travel into the past, it's not very efficient. Not only does the spell require an initial mana expenditure that increases exponentially proportional to the distance in time the user wishes to travel, it also requires a constant mana upkeep of a similar amount in order to remain at the destination," Twilight explains to me.

"What exactly does that mean?" I question her impatiently. I understand most of what she's saying, but I'm curious as to why she's suddenly using the word "mana" instead of magic. Is there a difference between the two? Furthermore, a sense of dread is starting to form.

"Let me put it this way. The spell isn't permanent. When I attempted to use it, I used nearly all of my mana just to send me back as far as a week, and even then, I couldn't remain for more than a few moments before my mana was completely expended," Twilight reveals.

"And Twilight is one of the strongest unicorns in all of Equestria!" Spike chimes in, only to be immediately hushed by a flustered Twilight.

My dread quickly turns to despair. Is she trying to tell me that not even magic can return me to my time? "You can't expect me to believe that. Perhaps you're right and this particular variant of the spell is inefficient. Somehow, Sombra traveled three thousand years into the past and remained there for several more years. Then, he sent me into this time through another spell," I tell her frantically. "If traveling that far back is impossible, explain that one to me!"

"I don't see how that's possible. The amount of mana necessary to perform such a long distance trip for that duration would be astronomical! It's just not feasible, even if you had all of the magic in Equestria on your side!" Twilight returns, her voice unconsciously rising to match mine as well.

"It _has_ to be possible! If _he_ did it, I should be able to do so as well!" I shoot right back at her, standing up. When Twilight tries to open her mouth to respond, I cut her off. "Don't you get it!? I want no part of a future where I'm the only one of my kind and I'm surrounded by ridiculous technicolored ponies! I want to go back!"

"Please calm down, Seth!" Twilight tries to plead with me. "I understand you're in a rough situation, but I just don't think it's possible to send you home!"

"You…!" I start to say, but then I fall silent. I feel anger, frustration, hopelessness, despair, and sorrow all mixing together into a maelstrom of raging emotion deep inside of me. Despite all of this, I can't think of anything to say. Just like before, I was stupid and let myself get hopeful. Each time, when my hopes are crushed, it justs get worse and worse. Why haven't I learned, even after all these years?

I struggle to keep calm, but I just can't take these feelings anymore. All of my emotion seems to condense into a single fiery white hot point, to the point where I can physically feel it as a growing pressure in the center of my chest. I grab the nearest object, which happens to be my empty teacup, and hurl it with all of my might towards the other side of the room.

"Fuck!" I shout helplessly, venting all of my feelings out through that one curse. It feels good, but even that doesn't quell the wave of emotional pain rushing through me.

Twilight yelps and manages to catch the teacup with her telekinesis just before it hits the wall, saving the dish from being shattered against the wooden surface. Spike is cowering beneath the table, hanging onto one of the legs.

It takes every ounce of willpower that I have not to break something else. As I stand there and breathe heavily, the surge of emotions subsides, to be replaced with the empty, dull pain that's been with me ever since the school. It stings much more than before, serving to show me that finding and killing Sombra is the only path left for me now. Only pain awaits me if I lose sight of that goal.

"Hey…" Twilight tries to get my attention. "I can't send you home, but I can at least help you find out more about this King Sombra. If you don't mind waiting in town a little while, I'm sure I'll find something about him in my library."

"Don't bother," I retort sullenly, taking her aback. "You've already fulfilled your obligation to me. I wanted one question answered, and you did that and more. You no longer have any reason to help me."

"That's not true. I do want to help you. I promise it won't be any trouble at all," Twilight protests.

"I don't believe you. Why would you do anything further for me, a stranger who's not even the same species as you?" I remind her, crossing my arms.

"I don't see a stranger standing before me; I see someone who's lost and alone in an unfamiliar world. Please, let me help," Twilight persuades. As kind as her words sound, I know better. Nobody helps another without anything in return. In fact, it's easy to tell what her angle is.

"All you want is to know more about humanity to further your own pursuits. No doubt you think helping me out is the only way to get that information out of me," I conjecture to her, unmoved by her pleading expression.

"What? No!" Twilight responds, looking offended. "You're right in that I do want to learn from you, but that's not why I want to help you! Hasn't anyone in your time ever helped you just out of kindness?"

I make a derisive scoff. Now that's something I've stopped believing in, ever since middle school. "Of course not. Why would they? I was just one insignificant speck in an ocean. Everybody would and should care about themselves," I answer her without missing a beat.

Twilight lowers her head, a sorrowful expression forming on her face. "That's… that's a horrible way to think. Do all humans think like you do?" she asks, though she looks like she doesn't want to hear the answer.

"How would I know? Probably. There were probably those that didn't, but they were in for a rude awakening." I'm quickly growing tired of this conversation. I didn't come here to be questioned on the way I think.

"How can you believe that? I used to think something similar, about how I didn't need friends, but then…" Twilight persists. Finally, I lose my patience.

"I don't care about your story, or whether or not you approve. I certainly didn't ask for you to stick your nose in my business," I growl, causing her to shut her mouth and shrink back. If this is where the conversation is going, I'm done here. This whole trip was one gigantic waste of time.

I grab my rifle from where I left it and walk out of the kitchen without another world. Unfortunately, it isn't quite that easy.

"Wait, where are you going?" Twilight cries, leaping out of her seat. I try to ignore her, but she appears in front of me with a flash of magic, causing me to pause. I forgot she could teleport at will.

"It's getting late, and there's nothing more to be said here. Get out of the way," I assert, stepping around her. This time, she doesn't try to follow me.

"But… where are you going to go? You said you were alone here; do you have someplace to stay?" Twilight persists as I reach the door. I pause with my hand on the handle, recognizing that question for what it is. I grit my teeth; she's backed me into a corner. If I tell her that I don't have anywhere to go, she's likely going to offer me a place here, which I'm certainly not going to accept. If I tell her the opposite, it would be a lie, and I hate lying.

"I've got it covered," I bluff. It's not entirely true, but it's the best I can give her without having to directly lie to her.

"Oh… okay," Twilight replies haltingly. She doesn't look as though she's entirely convinced, but she doesn't bother me further with it. "Where can I find you if I find information on King Sombra?"

I look at her and quirk an eyebrow. "I already told you that you don't need to do that," I remind her, exasperated. Twilight returns my gaze with a stubborn pout.

"I know you did, but I'm going to look anyway. If he's really from this era, then it's unacceptable that I don't know anything about him. Somepony with the ability to travel that far back in time must have some sort of record of his existence," Twilight asserts, looking at me with a hint of smugness in her expression. "I have all of the latest encyclopedias, biographies, and textbooks. You can't complain about me taking some time for my own personal research. After all, what I do on my own time is my business, isn't it?"

Twilight is now smiling. I give her a glare, knowing exactly what she's trying to do. She seems to have a habit of using my words against me, such that I can't argue back without seeming like a hypocrite. However, if she's going to play that card…

"If it's your own personal business, knock yourself out. However, that also means you can't hold it over my head," I warn her.

"Hold it over your head? Why would I do that?" Twilight appears genuinely confused by my warning. I honestly hope she isn't being serious. She'd have to be desperately naive to not know the answer to that question.

"Nevermind." I decide not to pursue that line of thought. In the end, if she chooses to do that research on her own time, it's no business of mine. I open the door and step out into the rapidly darkening streets.

"Wait! You never answered me. Where can I find you?" Twilight asks one more time, following me as far as the doorstep.

"You won't. I'll return here tomorrow sometime. It's not as though I have anything better to do," I tell her. Without another word, I pick up my pace and leave the library behind, faintly hearing Twilight bid farewell to me.

I shake my head. That couldn't have gone much worse. Not only was Twilight difficult to deal with, but I essentially wasted my whole evening answering questions, only to learn minor details in return. To make matters worse, I still don't know where to find Sombra.

My next immediate objective is to find someplace to sleep. The sun is already dipping beneath the horizon, suggesting that it's getting close to eight or nine. In fact, my guess proves to be correct. Not only does my phone verify that, but there is also a rather noticeable clock tower jutting above the tops of the houses nearby. There's two hands: one long and one short. If the format of the clock is similar to how it was in my time and the numbers are in the same places, then it is also telling me it's about eight thirty.

I can't just pick anywhere to sleep. The air is chilly and smells of winter, suggesting that it's only going to get much colder. There's a frigid breeze rolling through the town, chilling me even further. I need to find someplace in town that's sheltered from the wind. It seems I'll just have to accept being cold; I'm not about to beg one of these ponies for a room.

For now, it might be a good idea to familiarize myself with the area. I stride forward, retracing the route Flitter and I took previously. The streets are noticeably emptier now that the workday is assumedly over. I'm not certain if ponies work the same hours that humans do, but so far everything about them appears to work like human society, despite the fact that they're all ponies and have magic.

It's uncertain how long my stay in Ponyville will be, so it's best to get situated. Unfortunately, this means I'll need money in order to afford lodging. Seeing as the alternative is freezing to death as it gets closer to winter, it doesn't seem as though I have any other choice than to look for a job.

I divert from the streets and head towards the large building in the square. Due to the lack of ponies in the streets, now is the best time to explore. Walking beneath an archway between two buildings, I find myself in the square, standing at the foot of the cylindrical building that I assume is the town hall.

The buildings nearby are all arranged along the circumference of the square with their entrances pointing inwards. The river I crossed earlier borders a good fourth of the area, such that there's two bridges nearby and a third one further down the far street that allow passage.

The building next to me forms an archway with the adjacent building, and appears to be a bar of some sorts. I say that because the lights are on inside and I can see a counter and stools similar to what I'd see in a human bar, complete with a brown stallion bartender. I scowl and turn away. Bars have never been my favorite places.

There's a circular fountain several paces away from me around which benches are situated. The sculpture in the center is of a normal pony rearing up with a happy smile on its carved face.

I shake my head and walk the circumference of the square, making sure to stay close to the buildings. Despite it being so late, the streets still aren't entirely empty, so I don't want to attract undue attention. Despite my caution, a pony mare spots me in the shadow of a building. Unable to make out what I am apart from my height, the mare screams and gallops away.

Continuing on my exploration, I leave the square by crossing the river to the south. From here, I can see the dim shape of a barn sitting atop a hill far in the distance, along with the silhouettes of trees.

It's getting too dark to see, so eventually I give up and start looking for a place to sleep. If worst comes to worst, I can hunker down beneath one of those bridges. It'll be cold, but at least the wind won't be able to reach me.

As I turn back to the north and skirt the edge of the square, I start to hear faint traces of music. I stop, suddenly curious. If that's loud enough to be heard from here, that could only mean there's live music somewhere. Interested in seeing what pony music is like, I pick up my pace and try to track down the source of the music.

The closer I get, the more of it I can make out. The music is unmistakably electronic due to the heart pumping bass and the fast paced synthetic drum beats. If I were to make an educated guess, I'd say it sounds vaguely reminiscent of the electro genre. When electronic music is performed live, it's usually done by a DJ of some sorts. Before I go to sleep, I think I'll take a quick look.

Following the music leads me to a building near the edge of town, where ponies are still congregating. Light shines from the windows, shifting through every color of the rainbow. The music is blaring from the open door. If I had to guess, I'd say this is a club of some sort.

It probably isn't a good idea to expose myself to more ponies than necessary, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I would always listen to my music back in my time, and I even dabbled in some piano here and there, so it's safe to say that music is one of my personal interests. Even though this has absolutely nothing to do with finding Sombra, I decide it couldn't hurt to at least take a look.

Just as I approach the door, two ponies emerge from within, the two of them laughing at some shared joke. From their voices, I can tell they're both female. The first one is a unicorn, judging by the horn, and her coat colored a soft mint green. Her mane is simply styled, with her bangs resting atop her head and her tresses cascading down her neck and stopping just short of her shoulders. Both her mane and tail are a similar color to her coat, with the exception of a single white streak running through them. The mark on her flank appears to be of a lyre, interestingly enough. Is this pony also a musician?

The second pony has neither wings or a horn, and her coat is a beige color. Her mane appears to be more meticulously styled than her companion, each bang curled and placed neatly atop her head. Her mane and tail are colored a mixture of dark blue and magenta, where each color forms a uniform stripe separate from the other. The mark on her flank consists of three wrapped candies. Clearly these marks aren't insignificant; every pony I've met has one, and they're all different.

By chance, the two end up walking directly into my path. It's too late for me to hide, so I slow my pace to a casual walk and keep moving. Unfortunately, that does little to temper their reactions.

The moment they spot me, the two of them react in completely different ways. The beige pony screams and backs up against the wall, her eyes wide. "Lyra, get away! It's a monster!" she screams, being the second one today to make that assumption.

The other mare, who I'm assuming is Lyra, doesn't scream, panic, or even move upon seeing me. She just seems curious. When her companion screamed, she just looks confused. Lyra turns back to scrutinize my face, upon which is an irritated scowl. "What are you talking about, Bon Bon? It doesn't look like a monster at all," Lyra questions, much to my surprise. Ignoring Bon Bon's panicked warnings, she approaches me tentatively. "I've never seen anything like you though."

I sigh in annoyance. They're both in my way of the door, so I can't just push past them. "If it'll stop your friend's screeching, I'll tell you that I'm human," I inform the two of them. "Now kindly move; you're in the way."

"Human? Oh wow, I've heard of you. It's amazing that you're standing here right now," Lyra responds, putting on a friendly smile. She apparently didn't hear or is choosing to ignore the fact that I told her to move. She gives me an appraising look and licks her lips, making me instantly uncomfortable. "I have to say, I didn't think humans would look so… unique."

I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that. Just as I'm about to repeat myself, Bon Bon seems to get over her sudden case of fright and moves to stand by Lyra, looking annoyed by something.

"Humans? Wasn't there a book series of some sort about them?" Bon Bon questions. When Lyra nodded, she turned her gaze to me. "Weren't you all extinct?"

"That's a stupid question." Something about the way she said that rubs me the wrong way. I'm probably overreacting, but judging from her tone of voice, it seems like she's unhappy that I currently exist. "If we were all extinct, I wouldn't be here. Secondly, we just met. Shouldn't you be introducing yourself, instead of immediately greeting me with, 'shouldn't you be dead?'"

There's enough of an angry edge in my voice that Bon Bon steps back, her eyes growing wide. Lyra on the other hand, steps in front of Bon bon and giggles nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and I've been interested in history for most of my life, so the fact that you're here is simply astounding," she introduces, reaching out a hoof.

"I'm Seth Rogers, and you wouldn't be the first to show a scientific interest. Twilight practically tried to interrogate me, and frankly, I'm not in the mood," I remark, ignoring her hoof. I just want to get this conversation over with. I'm starting to regret going out of my way to come here.

Lyra laughs at that, withdrawing her hoof when she realizes that I'm not going to shake it. "That seems so like her! I grew up with her, and research was all she wanted to do," she reveals to me. "No, if anything, I want to know about…"

"Did you not hear me? I said I'm not in the mood. Plus, I didn't come here to socialize," I cut across her before this can turn into another questionnaire. Lyra looks suitably chastened, the mare uttering a soft apology. Bon Bon on the other hand is transfixing me with a glare. "I just wanted to take a look to see where that music was coming from."

Lyra brightens up again. "Oh, you're interested in Vinyl Scratch? She's our town's resident DJ!" she reveals to me, confirming my earlier suspicions. Vinyl is a rather strange name for a pony though. It's probably a stage name, considering it relates to her job. "If you want to meet her, you better hurry, her set's almost finished."

"Not that it'll matter. She does all the loading and set up on her own, so she takes a while to leave," Bon Bon rejoins, notably talking more to Lyra than to me. "That's when all the stallions try chatting her up, remember?"

"And they get nowhere," Lyra agrees, chuckling. I could push past them right now, but Bon Bon's words sound interesting. If that's right, maybe this Vinyl wouldn't mind some extra help. Perhaps coming here will be beneficial to me after all. "I get a real kick out of seeing them try though!"

" _If you'll excuse me_ , I'll go and do that now," I tell them emphatically, stopping them before they waste my time with an unnecessary tangent. "If you'll just move out of my way."

"Oh, whoops! Sorry," Lyra apologizes sheepishly with a giggle. She presses her head against Bon Bon's side, nudging her out of the way at last so I can walk past them. Lyra watches me go with poorly hidden interest. "Just look for the pony with the shades on; you can't miss her. Good luck in there! You'll probably need it."

"Whatever." I walk past them, leaving the two mares behind. However, just as I'm about to walk in through the door, I hear Lyra call out to me.

"Hey, Seth! Don't be a stranger!" she calls. All I give is a scoff in return. Between Twilight, Zecora, and now Lyra, these creatures are being overly friendly. What they all fail to realize is that I'm not here to waste time playing friends with them.

I'm just here to kill Sombra. Everything else is just a means to that end.

* * *

With my mind thus made up, I slip through the front door into the club. The music is extremely loud, making it feel as though my whole body is resonating with the bass. It's also very dark in the spacious room, making it difficult to make out the individual features of the crowd of ponies inside. The only light comes from the stage, which is the next thing that catches my attention.

In the far corner of the room is a raised portion of the floor, where the DJ is set up. From here, the first thing I notice is that her setup is once again surprisingly modern. She's sitting behind an extensive set of turntables that are covered with switches and dials of all kinds. Like the appliances in Twilight's kitchen, the turntables don't seem to be plugged into anything. Unlike said appliances, however, a series of thick black cables spider out from beneath the tables and connect to modern speaker systems and LED lights all over the club. I can only conjecture that the cables must channel magic, because Twilight was quite clear that electricity wasn't cheap or widely used.

The DJ looks to be very into her music, her entire white-coated body moving in time to the pounding beat. Her horned head bobs constantly and rhythmically, her unkempt electric blue mane snapping back and forth. The most distinguishable part of her appearance, however, are the purple tinted sunglasses that obscure her eyes and cover the majority of her face.

That seals it. As if the turntables weren't already a dead giveaway, the shades fit in line with Lyra's description: That's Vinyl Scratch. Planting my back against a wall, I wait patiently for the song to end.

The music isn't bad. Electronic music isn't really something to which I go out of my way to listen, but the beat is solid and the energy in her performance is palpable. The other ponies think so as well, as a majority of them are out on the dance floor, moving their bodies to the tempo. It's strange and somewhat amusing to see the pony version of dancing.

When the song comes to a smashing finish, Vinyl lets out an enthusiastic whoop while the crowd erupts with cheers. The LED lights turn white momentarily to allow for ease of vision so that ponies can find their way around.

Unfortunately, one of the lights passes over me in the process, allowing the pony next to me to get a good look at me. She gasps and backs away, running into the mare behind her. That, in turn, gets her attention, such that she's the next one to see me. Just like that, ponies all around start to notice my presence.

The reaction isn't mass panic, thankfully. The ponies closest to me give me a wide berth, and some of the ones I can see are whispering and pointing their hooves at me. It's not that hard to spot me either, as I stand about twice as tall as the average pony.

Eventually the strange behavior of the crowd gets Vinyl's attention. She sets down the record she just levitated back into a case and peers over the turntables. Once she spots me, her jaw drops and she gazes at me with an awestruck expression. Just as I'm starting to think that I should leave, Vinyl grins.

"Awright, change of plans everypony! As it turns out, I won't be performing 'Final Blast' tonight," Vinyl announces to the crowd in a rough alto voice, a mischievous expression on her face. Her words manage to distract the crowd due to the cordless microphone in front of her. Her words elicit disappointed cries from them all, suggesting that "Final Blast" is a song that she usually plays by tradition. "Come on, don't give me that! This is a special occasion; There's a human in the house! Where do you think I pull inspiration from?"

I blink, taken aback by the calming effect that her words are having on the crowd. Just like that, the ponies are growing more accustomed to my presence, trusting Vinyl's words. Is she really that influential? More interesting is the fact that she claims to have drawn inspiration from us. Has music from my era survived long enough to be seen by pony eyes?

"This is like, the best chance to hear what an actual human thinks about my work!" Vinyl's horn lights up a soft magenta as she eagerly levitates a record out from the case beside her and sets it on the turntable. She adjusts the needle, sets it on the record, and then she looks directly at me. "I learned this from you guys, so do me a favor and rock out!"

The music blasts back through the speakers a split second later. Waves of reverberating bass surge through the room with an unrivaled intensity. The style is unmistakably dubstep, much to my utter shock. That is definitely a human style. I can't help but find myself shaking my head wryly. I don't mind this style of music; I'm just amazed that it's lasted this long.

In the wake of this new music and Vinyl's boundless enthusiasm, my presence goes forgotten and the ponies slowly relax and mingle with one another. It isn't long before the dance floor is populated with ponies once more.

I return to leaning against the wall, bobbing my head appreciatively to the beat. If this is her last song, I don't mind waiting through it. Staying up late is of no concern to me anymore. I have nothing for which to wake up early anymore.

As I listen, I close my eyes, losing myself in old memories. I've been to a scene like this once before, back in my own era. Standing here like this, I can't help but be reminded of that time. The scent in the air is that of sweaty ponies, but the sights, sounds, and atmosphere are all causing me to reminisce.

* * *

 _It was dark in the streets, the sun having long since set. It was the end of a long day of difficult classes for the both of us, and we were both looking to blow off some steam. Unfortunately for me, it was Amaryllis's turn to choose what we would do._

 _That was how we ended up standing just outside one of the area's only nightclubs. We had to show our IDs just to get in the place. "Amaryllis, why are we here again?" I complained as I followed my more confident friend into the half-drunken crowd. "Seriously, places like this make me extremely uncomfortable."_

 _"It would be easier to list the things that_ don't _make you uncomfortable," Amaryllis returned with a smirk. "That's why I brought you here. It's my turn, and I'm going to broaden your horizons. Have you ever danced before?"_

 _"Danced? What are you talking about? Of course I haven't," I retorted, quirking an eyebrow as we headed deeper into the club. Much like I expected, the club was filled with a large amount of people. Drinks were being poured, and more than a few were already drunk. There was a DJ there tonight, so the main lights were dim and the air shimmered with the rays of various LEDs. I then realized that she was leading me to the dance floor and my mind shut down. "Amaryllis, what the hell are you doing? I'm not going to dance. No way in hell."_

 _"What, are you too scared of being shown up on the dance floor?" Amaryllis teased me with a grin as we near the dance floor. "Do you care about what other people think so much?"_

 _Just then, Amaryllis stepped out onto the dance floor and started to move her body to the beat, effectively joining the throng of other dancing people. I gape at her in dismay, wondering who this woman was and what she did with Amaryllis._

 _"What? No, but this is beneath you! Come on, let's just go," I try to plead with her, but that line alone gets her to glare at me._

 _"What the hell are you on about? Beneath me? Why?" Amaryllis's voice cracks out at me like a whip, causing me to wince. "I'm just trying to have fun with my only friend doing something that I enjoy. How is that beneath me?"_

 _"Because every other college student goes out and parties like this! I thought you were different," I snapped at her, starting to get a little angry. Amaryllis's stare turned to ice after that._

 _"Get over yourself, Seth. We worked our asses off today, so we deserve a little time to blow off steam. Why are you bringing other people into this? Who cares what they do? Tonight's about us," Amaryllis expressed vehemently, approaching me. Her smirk returns. "Or, perhaps this is because you actually do care about what all these drunk people think. Is that it, princess?"_

 _I groan at her usual nickname for me and shake my head, backed into a corner by her words. Before I can stop her, Amaryllis reaches out and grabs me by the wrist, dragging me unwillingly towards the dance floor._

 _"Lighten up a bit, okay? Worry about the here and now… where there's a pissed off bitch wanting you to dance with her," Amaryllis quipped, gazing directly at me. Her words, her sudden proximity, and her intense gaze on my face caused my face to heat up rapidly. "Don't worry, I won't say a word when you inevitably suck."_

 _"That's it. Keep talking trash, Amaryllis. Now I'm going to show you how to really dance," I blurted out before I can stop myself. Amaryllis broke out into a grin and she laughed heartily, starting to dance once more. This time, I joined her, awkwardly moving to the rhythm._

 _Thankfully, Amaryllis was patient with me, and occasionally adjusted my position with her arms until I was able to move more fluidly. Eventually, I was able to tune out the other people and just have fun, focusing entirely on her._

 _Of course, Amaryllis was quite attractive, so there was inevitably one or two drunken men who tried to get in on the dance, but she disposed of them quite quickly with well placed kicks to their groins. Amaryllis was brutal when she had to be, but I'm fine with that. Nobody else could get between us at that moment._

* * *

Even now, that memory is one of my fondest with her. Thinking about it makes me smile sadly, as I know that memories is all I have left of her. Sorry Vinyl, I won't be dancing to your music. I don't think I'll be dancing ever again. Amaryllis was the only one I'd ever do something so silly with, and she's gone now. She was such a strong woman…

I shake my head vigorously, ridding myself of those thoughts. I can't let myself be bogged down in memories. I'll have all the time in the world to reminisce once Sombra is dead.

It's a relatively long song, but it eventually comes to an end, marking the end of Vinyl's performance. The crowd's reaction is most telling; they erupt into tumultuous cheers of adulation. As they applaud her, I remain where I am until ponies start to filter out of the bar. This time, some of the ponies tentatively offer friendly greetings to me, but I never return them.

Instead, I wait until the floor is clear enough, and then I make my way towards where Vinyl is starting to pack up. Just like Bon Bon said, I notice a stallion trying to talk to her, and there are several others nearby looking as though they want to do the same. It's not hard to tell she's bothered by their presence.

The stallions see me coming. Perhaps it's because I'm moving relatively fast and directly towards them, but they scatter when I get close. Vinyl notices me coming pretty quick, but the stallion talking to her is still clueless until I'm right up behind him.

I clear my throat, getting his attention. The stallion turns around and gulps, noticing how I'm towering over him with the rifle clenched in my hands. "I have business with her, so if you don't mind, take your flirting elsewhere," I growl at him. That's all it takes for him to scatter like the rest.

"Thanks for that, dude, I was getting ready to tell him to shove off," Vinyl addresses me with an appreciative nod. She gets back to coiling up her cables with her telekinesis. "Pretty rad to see a real human. How did you like my tunes? Did I get your music right?"

"More than right, I'd say. More inspired than anything I've heard in the genre," I tell her honestly. Granted my opinion doesn't mean anything because I haven't heard much dubstep, but I decide to leave that part out. I'm hoping to get a job helping this mare out, so I should attempt to be polite. "I should thank you for saving me the trouble of dealing with a panicking crowd. That would have been more than irritating."

"Hah, I hear that. You gotta forgive them. We've all heard of your kind, but nopony really knows what you look like. If my mother wasn't an archaeologist, I wouldn't have known either," she reveals to me conversationally. Well, that explains how she knows what I am. "Anyway, the name's Vinyl Scratch."

"So I heard. My name is Seth Rogers." I return her introduction with one of my own while I determine how best to broach the subject of a job.

"It's a pleasure, Seth. Do you care if I call you Seth?" Vinyl asks, speaking in a very casual and laid-back manner. I shake my head as an answer, thankful that she saved me the effort of telling her to do so myself. She grins and extends a hoof to me, like every other pony I've met so far. Unlike every other pony I've met, it's in my best interests to accept. Just for that reason, I awkwardly reach out my hand.

"Yeah!" Vinyl emits, rearing up slightly. To my surprise, when she goes for my hand, her hoof dexterously curves around my palm, clasping it rather tightly. Before I can take a closer look, she lifts my hand and tightens her grip briefly before releasing me and standing back on all fours again. She gave a laugh. "My mom would be so jealous of me right now. Anyway, you said you had business with me. Do you care if I pack while I listen?"

"Not really," I reply. Vinyl nods and gets back to packing up all of her equipment. I take a quick glance around the area, noting just how much work Vinyl has to do. Her cables stretch all over the place, her speakers and LED stands look as though they weigh a great deal, and that's not even counting her turntables. The banners hanging from the ceiling also seem to be hers due to the fact she's pulling them down with her telekinesis. "It seems like you've got a lot on your plate here."

"You could say that. It's no big deal though," Vinyl returns with a good natured chuckle as she folds up a banner and sets it aside. For storage, Vinyl has a spacious black cart nearby made of plastic in which multiple labeled tubs are neatly stacked. A few of these tubs are sitting open on the stage. The banners that Vinyl is folding are placed into one of them, suggesting that she has different tubs to hold different items. "Takes me a bit though, so if I sit around too long, I'm here all night."

"I can see how it would take you a while. Have you thought about taking on extra help?" I insinuate casually. Vinyl doesn't seem to think anything of it though.

"Yeah, actually, but who would I take on? I've always run my show solo," Vinyl responds with a shrug. "Besides, I'd want somepony who gets just as passionate as me about this line of work… and isn't just in it for selfish reasons. How much do you want to bet that if I asked one of those stallions to help, they'd do it in a heartbeat?"

"I'd bet nothing. I'd go bankrupt in a second," I remark with a disgusted scowl. It's both reassuring and disappointing to hear that male ponies share the same habits as male humans. "I get what you mean though. So if you were to take on a helper, you'd want another musician who doesn't want to flirt with you the whole time?"

"Pretty much hit the nail on the head!" Vinyl agrees as she hops off the stage. I follow her to one of the speaker constructs set up along the edges of the room. They're strangely constructed; from what I can see, the woofers are larger and set on the ground, and have a hole in the top. The tweeters and drivers are smaller and rest atop a metal pole that's anchored into the aforementioned hole. Her horn lights up and the speakers atop the pole rise from their position, albeit slowly. I notice immediately that Vinyl appears to be having trouble. She's sweating and grunting with exertion, the speakers moving slowly and wobbling in their trajectory. "But… there's nopony in town that's a musician, a mare, and willing to help… gah!"

I step in and catch the speaker in midair, taking some of the load off of Vinyl. I'm not sure how telekinesis works, but just from this one display, I determine that the heavier the target, the more strain it causes. However, being so quick to help isn't the best decision on my part either, as the speaker is rather weighty. The strain on my body causes my side to light up with white hot pain, causing me to gasp and struggle to keep from dropping the speaker.

With both Vinyl and I working together, we manage to get the speaker up onto the stage and into the cart. Vinyl pants and wipes the sweat off of her brow with a hoof. "Thanks. It's always harder to do the heavy lifting after a show. I use my mana to power everything for several hours, so I don't have much left over," she explains to me, confirming my hypothesis that everything she uses runs on magic. I am interested as to what the difference between magic and mana is though. I've heard both words from different ponies now.

Vinyl suddenly does a double take. "Wait, you just helped me, and you brought up all this talk about extra help," she realizes aloud, looking at me directly. I can't tell what she's thinking due to those dark shades covering her eyes. "Are you trying to get me to hire you?"

"That's about it, yeah. I just… arrived… in Equestria a few days ago, and I could use the money," I admit with a shrug.

Vinyl takes a break from her packing to give me a once over. "Well, I can't say I was expecting this tonight," she responds with a laugh. "Even after all the requirements I listed, you think I'll hire you? Also, why me specifically? I know Applejack is constantly looking for help on the farm."

"Those are hardly requirements to worry about," I state sardonically. As far as job requirements go, those are nothing special. "You said you wanted a musician; I've dabbled a bit in piano, as music is a passion of mine. I'm asking you because you're the first musician I found. Secondly, and I can't believe I have to explain this, but I'm hardly attracted to ponies."

Vinyl wrinkles her nose a bit and laughs again. "Awright, fair enough. If you think you're up to it, I can give you a shot. I have gigs about two or three times a week in the evenings, sometimes more if Pinkie Pie throws one of her spontaneous parties," she describes to me. I nod, satisfied that I've managed to land a job. With luck, I'll have enough money to afford temporary lodging soon.

I also can't help but note that I've heard those words, "Pinkie Pie," before, from Flitter. At the time, I assumed it was a dessert, but Vinyl is talking about them as though they're a name. There's seriously a pony out there called Pinkie Pie? That's just ridiculous.

"So here's the deal; if you help me with all of this, I'll pay you a cut of the earnings. Say… twenty-five percent? Depending on where I travel, I make anywhere from thirty to over two hundred bits," Vinyl reveals to me. "Sound good?"

I have to assume that "bits" are the Equestrian currency. I can't tell if she's giving me a good deal or not, as I don't know how bits compare to US dollars in value. If it's on a one to one basis (which I highly doubt it is) then that would mean I'd make between seven and fifty dollars per gig. That's not great, but I don't have any other options. Additionally, this is only temporary; I plan to quit once I find out where Sombra is hiding.

"That works for me. You make it sound like you travel to other towns," I notice.

"Oh yeah, not often, but it does happen. Sometimes the ponies up in Canterlot get tired of playing nice and want to rock out. Once I got a gig from Trotsdale too… that was nice," Vinyl relates to me.

I stop paying attention halfway through her sentence because of the name of the first town she mentioned. Canterlot? Is… did she intentionally make a pun off of the human mythological city, Camelot? Or is that honestly what the city is called? Every second I remain in this strange era, I discover information that just raises more and more questions that I can't get answered.

"Anyway, I guess I'm your boss now," Vinyl expresses with a wry grin. "Don't worry about tonight though, I got this. Tomorrow's a Pinkie party though, so I'd like your help then. Where you holed up?"

That question catches me off guard. I didn't tell Twilight that I didn't have any place to stay, but I can't exactly do the same with Vinyl. She's my employer now, so she has to be able to find me for work. There's nothing I can do except tell her the truth.

"I don't have anywhere to stay, or any money. That's why I'm here," I tell her honestly, already bracing myself for her response.

"Wha-really?" Vinyl's ears fold back and her jaw drops. "That's… not cool at all. I can't pay you enough to regularly afford a hotel right off the bat, so what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"Sleep outside. Not seeing any other options here," I reply with a shrug.

"What? This close to winter? When the snows come, you'll freeze to death!" Vinyl returns sharply, her voice sounding more and more upset. "Come on, you've got to have other options. You're human, one of our great precursors. You could probably get a room in Canterlot Castle of all places if you really tried."

"What, you want me to freeload off of some random pony just because because I'm human?" I retort, irritated by just the very suggestion of such a thing. "Not a chance. If I can't pay my way, I'll sleep outside."

"I have a spare room I could offer you. It gets wicked cold during the winter, so freeloading or not, it's better than freezing, right?" Vinyl then proceeds to give me the very offer that I wanted to avoid so much that I nearly lied to Twilight.

"I'm not budging on this. I won't accept charity, no matter what the alternative is," I state firmly.

Vinyl sighs heavily, and then stares back at me with a stubborn expression. "And _I_ won't let you just freeze to death out on the streets. There's gotta be some kind of way that'll work for you," she argues vehemently.

It's now my turn to sigh, this time with annoyance. I honestly don't see why she cares that much whether or not I have a place to stay. It's not really her business, apart the fact that she needs to find me. "There really isn't," I tell her, equally as stubbornly.

"I can't just accept that, dude. It's just not right," Vinyl asserts, the mare obstinately refusing to back down. "I'll let you off tonight because there's nothing I can do on such short notice, but I'mma think of something by tomorrow evening."

"I still don't see why it matters, but whatever. You do that," I relent uncaringly, just happy to get her off my case for the time being. If it becomes too much of a problem by tomorrow, I'll just quit and find an employer who won't care about something so silly. "If you want to find me, I'll probably be hiding out beneath a bridge near the town square."

"Alright, it shouldn't be too hard to find you then," Vinyl responds, a frown on her face. "Can I at least lend you a blanket?"

"No," is my immediate response, causing Vinyl to groan.

"Agh, you're so stubborn!" Vinyl complains, stamping her hoof. "Thankfully, the weather is mild tonight, so you should be fine. Though my door's open if you get too cold."

"Noted," I utter simply. Our business is settled and the conversation appears to be over, so I turn on one heel and make my way out of the club. Thankfully, Vinyl doesn't call after me.

I shiver once I step outside, a chill breeze running over my skin. I rub my arms, goosebumps forming. This is not going to be a very pleasant night. To compound matters, my stomach is growling frequently; I haven't had anything to eat since I left Zecora's house, and it doesn't look like finding food will be an option as long as I don't have any money. At the very least, keeping hydrated won't be an issue with the river nearby.

As I walk, I keep thinking about how hard Vinyl fought to keep me off the streets. There's just no reason for her to do any of that. It would make sense to keep me in one piece if I was her contracted employee and she couldn't do the job on her own, but that isn't the case. It's obviously not out of kindness, so the only reason I can see is that she'd use her lodging as leverage to get more out of me than I originally agreed to. Vinyl said her mother is an archaeologist, which means she would probably be extremely happy to get her hooves on me. I'd probably be worth a fortune. No doubt if Vinyl housed me, she'd find someway to get me to agree to that.

I clench my hands into fists, somewhat angry just at that thought. There's no way I'll let that happen. I'm not stupid enough to believe that any of these offers are genuine; that simply doesn't happen with strangers - especially not in this situation.

It's completely dark out now, and the streets are empty. Even the square is completely devoid of ponies. Because of that, I take a moment to sit on one of the benches and rest for a moment. All of this walking and exertion has my side aching. Checking the bandages reveals that there's no blood still. I start to wonder if the wound has scabbed over already. That hardly seems possible; it's only been a few days since I received it. What kind of herbs did Zecora use to make her treatment so effective?

There's no lamps or anything to shed light on the streets. The only light comes from the windows of some of the nearby houses and from the moon above. Speaking of which, I've never been anywhere that didn't have any light pollution of which to speak. I look up at the night sky… and my breath is taken away.

I've never seen anything like this. There are countless stars covering the entirety of the blackened sky, softly shedding their light on the land below. I can make out constellations that I've never been able to observe before, and even note the existence of a distant planet or two. The gorgeous moon hangs in the air as well brightly and unobscured by even a single a cloud.

I stare up at the wondrous night sky for a long time, until finally I start to grow drowsy. I even doze off momentarily, but it isn't long before the breeze chills me awake. I wrench my eyes away from the sky and walk over to the nearest bridge. As I expected, there's a small ledge beneath the bridge, just at the edge of the river. As long as I remain relatively still, I should be safe from the wind.

Grunting, I crawl beneath the bridge. First, I drink my fill from the river, and then I lay down on my back. It's not very comfortable at all; I can feel rocks digging into my back, it's somewhat stuffy down here, and the crickets are rather loud. Looking up from my position, all I can see is the stone underside of the bridge. This is going to be a miserable night. I let out a deep breath and close my eyes. Despite how cold and hungry I am, it doesn't take me long to finally get to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

That awkward moment when you realize you forgot to upload the fourth chapter on time. I blame Overwatch for that. That's my excuse. Anyway, on to the unnecessarily long author's note.

Here's what I found by reading back through the original chapter. Some of the same old problems were there as before in that Seth kept talking smack about the pony world for no reason (likely pissing off readers), acted like a total prick for no reason, and cursed every other word out of his mouth. My editors, of which I picked up two more to join the team (Dawnblaze16 and Brave-Hooves from the special chapters), were a great help in this endeavor, though it seems that rewriting is getting easier once I get a sense of how early Seth should act and how the others should interact with him. One of my greatest weakness in early writing is that the characters were there for the story, when the story should have been there for the characters.

 **Here are the notable changes in the story:**

-Removed the entire scene of Seth kicking Spike, because as DezzarTac pointed out, Twilight's home is a public library, and there's no reason for him to bar Seth's entry. Thus, the scene was reworked to show a little more realism. Thank you Dezzar for having patience with me.

-Once again, Seth was being a total dick by demanding all this information from Twilight without giving any of his own. Thus, I reworked the scene to show an exchange of information, and made it so Seth was annoyed with her enthusiasm and kept a bottom line for her to follow.

-Removed that god awful Yugioh GX abridged reference. "TAKE THE HINT UNICORN I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!" Why in god's name did I ever think that would work in a serious story setting? Why did I feel the need to blatantly rip off someone else's work rather than write it myself? I just don't understand the person that wrote this nearly three years ago.

-Adjust Seth's poor view on humanity to be less narrow minded. By that, I mean he understands that he can't sum up humanity as all thinking the same way. Additionally, I want his opinion to seem as though it comes from only him, and not from me, the author. That's certainly not my intention, because I love humanity, despite its flaws.

-and here we go. As much as I hate Lyra's human obsession in fanfics, in the original, the way I introduced her had her OPEN with her human obsession. I was crying tears of blood as I read it. I still want the Lyra romance subplot to remain, but I don't want it to be because he's a human. Like, I want her original interest to stem from the fact that she likes the way he looks, not because she's overly obsessed with humans. In my honest opinion, that's a stupid trope and the fandom needs to drop it.

-I reworked the flashback entirely. I considered removing it, but decided not to. That flashback needs to be there in order to have that scene with Rainbow Dash and Seth make sense later. I also removed the part where he danced, as I want the aforementioned scene with RD and Seth have more impact. Seth says here he'll never dance again, but then Rainbow reminds him so strongly of that time that it feels natural for him to dance with her. In the flashback, I reworked it so that it flowed better, and Amaryllis's feelings towards Seth would be more apparently, despite her bitchy exterior.

-Finally, I reworked the whole Vinyl segment to make her more of a believable character rather than just a stereotypical DJ that does dubstep. How did I have the nerve to claim that Vinyl was "so much win" in the author's note when I couldn't even give her a distinguishable character?

-I also made it so that asking for a job was Seth's prerogative and suggestion.

Now then, this was a long author's note. Anyway, make sure to tell me in a review how you feel about the changes! I'm curious as to whether or not I did a better job than the original. Your comments do mean a lot, as when I start a rewrite, I look at the reviews on the original to find out what people liked and what they didn't. *makes the pleading face*


	5. A Mind of Troubles

I'm already awake by the time the dawn arrives, the curtain of night ever so slowly fading to pink. Still sitting beneath the bridge, I hug my sides tightly, shivering violently in the cold. Despite the shelter afforded to me by the bridge, the temperature dropped dramatically during the night.

I can't remember a time when I've slept as poorly as I did this night. Uncomfortable, cold, and hungry, sleep did not come easily to me at all. Even when I did manage to drift away, it would only be for a short time before I would awaken again, miserable from the poor weather conditions.

There's no way around it. Vinyl was right; I'm lucky that it isn't winter yet, or I would have definitely frozen to death. Even now, it isn't hard to tell that staying outside was not the best of ideas. My skin is covered in goosebumps, my whole body aches, and I can't stop shivering. A quick glance at my phone tells me that it's only about seven in the morning. By my previous college standards, this is way too early for me to wake up. However, with the way I'm feeling right now, it could be four in the morning for all I care. I need to move.

I grab my rifle and struggle to rise. My body protests against every slight motion as I force myself out from beneath the bridge. I stumble a bit in the process, nearly tumbling into the river. I curse beneath my breath once I recover. It's hard to move properly, my body feels heavy and every movement I make feels sluggish and weak.

Warmth is the first thing to come to my mind once I manage to get to my feet. I need to find someplace to warm up. I must be suffering from hypothermia; I've never been out in the cold for this long without heavy winter clothing. Somehow I have to find a way to make enough money today to find a motel or the pony equivalent to sleep in. If I can't come up with anything, I may die, as it can only get colder.

Come to think of it, it's odd that winter hasn't already arrived. I disappeared from my era in February, which is considered to be late winter. I suppose I can't expect that spell to have been so convenient as to drop me in the exact same month and day in this era. If it's close to winter, but not quite there yet, I'd hazard a guess and say that it's around late November.

I hobble towards the square miserably, rubbing my chilled skin vigorously in an attempt to get the blood flowing. I need to find someplace warm, fast. If I can get back to Twilight, who owns a public library, it may be warm inside. If ponies have the technology to operate refrigerators, heating and air conditioning shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

The town is quiet, but the streets are gradually filling with ponies. They emerge from their houses, showing differing degrees of fatigue from their no doubt restful night's sleep. Some wear small saddlebags filled with various objects, some wear a sparse covering of clothing, and many carry nothing at all. The few pegasi I see take to the skies not long after emerging from their homes, riding the breeze like birds.

My presence causes similar reactions to what I received the previous night, yet considering some of them have seen me before, the overall reaction is somewhat tempered. I'm walking slowly along the left end of the street with my arms hugging my sides, so I doubt I cut a very threatening figure. Despite this, my appearance turns several heads.

I'm also starting to pick out the differences between stallions and mares. The stallions tend to be larger, with thicker hooves, pronounced muscles, and more angular snouts. Comparatively, the mares are smaller, with slender hooves and rounded snouts. If I'm getting this right, that means there's a disproportionately large number of mares in comparison to stallions. The fact that every pony I've interacted with so far has been a mare only serves to reinforce that theory.

I'm so focused on the path forward that I forget to look down. I suddenly feel a warm furry mass bump into my lower chest, followed by a surprised snuffle. "Oof!" the mare that ran into me yelps and steps back, giving me a clear look at her. "Seth? You're still in town?"

I stare back at Flitter, the pegasus mare looking at me with surprise and worry. Her words take a while to process; all I can think about is how warm her fur felt against my frigid skin, like a living blanket. I shiver, shaking that thought from my mind. It's hard to think when I'm this cold.

"Despite my best efforts, yes," I reply, stuttering somewhat due to the chattering of my teeth. The fingers clasped around the haft of my rifle are turning slightly blue due to the extremely cold metal.

My sorry state doesn't go unnoticed by Flitter. She lets out a soft gasp, her face filling with worry. "Are you alright? You're shaking," she observes, pressing a hoof against my arm. I quickly move so she's no longer in contact with me, but it's too late. Her worry turns to horror after feeling my arm. "Your skin is so cold! We should get you inside, fast!"

Flitter walks behind me and presses the top of her head against my rear, as if to push me towards the house she emerged from. I immediately plant my feet and press a hand against her head, preventing her from pushing me any further. She squeaks as I firmly push her away.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demand, causing Flitter to flinch, her ears flattening. "I'm not going into your house, if that's what you're trying to do."

"But it's not healthy for you to be that cold! You look like you've been outside all night! I could brew you up some hot tea and get you some blankets to warm you up," Flitter attempts to reason with me. Her seemingly generous offer only causes me to get suspicious of her.

"No thank you. I'm heading someplace warm already, so I don't need to rely on your good will," I tell her plainly, doing my best to keep from sounding sarcastic. I have nothing further to say, so I walk past her.

"Why won't you let me help you?" Flitter keeps pace with me, much to my annoyance.

"That's not your business. I'll thank you not to pry any further." My patience is wearing thin, but I manage to reign in my temper. It likely wouldn't be good for me if I am seen yelling at the same pony who previously introduced me to town.

"Seth, there's a heavy storm coming tonight," Flitter warns me anxiously, though her pace does slow enough for me to regain my lead. "If you stay outside again..."

I glance up at the sky, feeling somewhat worried. However, the sky is entirely devoid of any cloud formations, such that all that's stretched out before me is a pinkish orange expanse of empty morning sky.

"How can you tell?" I question her, pausing a moment. If there is a storm, I'll die of the cold for sure. If she's right… then finding a way to afford a place to stay tonight is even more urgent than before. "There's not a single cloud in the sky."

"Well, no, not yet," Flitter responds. What she's next completely wrecks any understanding that I had of this conversation. "We on the Ponyville Weather Team haven't actually put it together yet. But our captain will make sure it's ready on time."

"What?" is my bewildered response. Just that simple answer raised a multitude of questions in my mind. By "it" is she referring to the actual storm? The way she said that implies that this "weather team" is going to physically make the storm. That's ludicrous, so I can only assume she's referring to a weather forecast. I didn't realize ponies were capable of predicting the weather, but even that's more of a sensible conclusion than my previous thought. "You're talking about the weather forecast, right?"

"Huh? Yes, that's right. I was saying a heavy downpour is scheduled for today, so it won't be safe for you to stay outside again," Flitter looks equally confused by my reaction, but she recovers quickly and attempts to explain again. She looks as though she wants to know why I was outside so late, but thankfully she chooses not to ask. "I have to go to work soon, but I want to at least get you a coat."

Flitter puts on a determined expression. "Yes, stay right there, Seth. I'll be right back," she declares. Before I can argue with her, she zips back inside of the building that I can only assume is her home.

I gaze after her for a moment, and then I turn on my heel and continue on my way, quickening my pace somewhat in order to get out of sight before she returns. As much as a coat would likely save my life in the event I had to sleep outside again, I won't accept it from her. If I'm going to survive, it'll be on my own merit. I won't be indebted to others.

My thoughts drift ahead to the gig with Vinyl tonight. I'm not sure how much she gets paid at these "Pinkie Parties," and that leaves my own income in question. Without a concrete number to work with, I won't be able to tell if I can afford a room or not. Perhaps staking everything on that one gig wouldn't be the best idea. I should try to find another source of employment. I can't kill Sombra if I'm dead.

Vinyl mentioned that a pony named Applejack was looking for help on "the farm." Judging from my own observation, the apple orchard and its surrounding fields is the only thing that fits the description of a farm, although I wasn't able to see any structures over the trees. As I near the library, my stomach churns, devoid of any sustenance. It's not just shelter I have to worry about. I don't think I've ever been this hungry before. After I finish dealing with Twilight, I'll pay the orchard a visit. Hopefully if I can work there, I'll earn enough to buy a room and feed myself.

At last, I reach the front of the library once more. I notice a sign hanging to the front of the door that wasn't there yesterday, but I can't read what it says. Perhaps a little more hastily than would be dignified, I wrench open the door and bolt inside. I let out a sigh of relief as the warm air rushes over my skin. I shut the door behind me, blocking out the cold air.

I blink in surprise. The front room of the library is no longer as organized as it was yesterday. Countless books have been pulled from the shelves and are scattered about the room. Perhaps scattered is a poor choice of word; the books are organized into neat stacks, but their placement appears to be random. The central table is covered in them as well. It's as though half the library is now on the floor.

The stacks of books appear to be most concentrated in the back of the room closest to the stairs. As I step closer, I spot Twilight in the center of them, laying on her side with her head resting against one of the shelves in an undignified fashion. I'm about to call out to her, but then I realize that she's fast asleep.

Her chest every so slightly expands and contracts in time with her soft and steady breathing. The fur on one corner of her mouth is slightly damp, and there's a book lying open on her chest, clutched tightly in her forelegs. Every so often, one of her back hooves will twitch.

I quirk a brow in a mixture of confusion and amusement. She looks rather pathetic in this pose. I'll also grudgingly admit that what I'm seeing is somewhat cute. I mean that in the way that a pet owner would after seeing their associated pet fall asleep after playing too much. Twilight owes that to the fact that she's a furry expressive pony; I'd have never thought something like that about a human.

I set my rifle down on the table. While she's asleep, I take a moment to stretch out my body and warm myself up through a series of exercises, though I make sure not to stretch my side overmuch. I can't tell where the heat is coming from, but I'm thankful for the newfound comfort.

In the process, I notice that my bandages feel uncomfortably tight. I'm also feeling no real pain from anywhere other than my side. Curious, I walk into the kitchen and search around until I locate a trash wounds on my shoulders were the least life threatening, so I take a risk and unravel the bandages encircling them.

The revealed injuries are surprisingly stable. Despite the fact that it's only been a few days since I received them, the cuts on my shoulder are now only present in the form of hardened scabs. I trace my finger over one, noting its firmness. I have to hand it to Zecora; whatever she used, it kick started the healing process unlike anything I've ever seen.

Once I dispose of the now useless bandages, I continue to unwrap the rest of my upper body, encouraged by the lack of bleeding. The gashes in my chest and arms are all scabbed over as well. Even my side appears to be stable, although it continues to pain me with even the slightest strain.

Eager to be freed from them, I discard the rest of the bandages into the trash. It feels strange to be walking around in a public establishment without a shirt, but I don't have any other options. Additionally, I haven't noticed any other ponies wearing clothes at all. That's... a rather strange cultural transition to be sure. I suppose I can't reasonably expect them to have the same societal standards and traditions as us. I find myself envious of their warm fur. If I had that, sleeping outside wouldn't be a problem.

I return to the front room and advance towards Twilight. The unicorn shows no signs of stirring, despite the fact that I make no attempts at stealth. I don't have the time to waste waiting for her to wake up. I pick up a book from the table and unceremoniously drop it from shoulder height onto her flank.

Twilight jerks awake with a start, her forehooves flailing and knocking over some of the stacks of books nearby. "Waah! What's going on? Where am I? Spiiike!" she exclaims wildly.

Twilight squirms around, scattering several of the books, before she manages to sit up straight. Then, she notices me leaning against the table with my arms crossed impatiently. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but then she glances around at the mess she'd made, and with it came a look of panic.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Seth! Wait just a minute, I'll have all this cleaned up in a second!" Twilight apologizes, and then she zips around the room, using her telekinesis to lift the fallen books and organize them back onto the shelves a few at a time.

"You really don't need to…" I start to say, but my eyes can hardly follow her as she zooms past me, a gust of displaced air blowing my hair back. Books fill the shelves in an orderly fashion as she works, soon leaving the floor free of clutter. "I'm not the kind of person who…"

Twilight rushes past me once more and then instantaneously returns with a brush and dustpan clutched in her magical grip. She immediately sets to work on the table and floor where she had been sleeping, clearing away any dust that may have fallen from the displaced books.

"There's really no point…" Eventually, it comes to my attention that Twilight isn't listening to me at all. "Oh for the… would you slow down!?"

Twilight finally skids to a stop in front of me, though I'm not sure whether it's because I raised my voice or because she's already finished. Minus the stacks of books, everything looks the same as it did before.

"I'm finished! I'm sorry again about the mess, I didn't realize I was going to be having company so early," Twilight responds as if she'd never even heard my protests.

"Apparently you didn't hear me when I said it didn't matter. I could care less how messy the place is," I return with a shrug, paying no mind to her apology. "Why were you sleeping on the floor like that anyway?"

"I… uh…" Twilight flushes with embarrassment, one hoof shuffling against the wooden floor nervously.

"She stayed up until four in the morning researching that king you asked about," a boyish voice answers for her. I glance up to see Spike sluggishly plodding down the stairs, looking as though he'd just awoken from a deep sleep.

"I didn't even realize how late it was… or that I fell asleep. I'm so embarrassed," Twilight dips her head, laughing nervously. She then looks to me for an answer, but when she just sees me staring her, she starts to look awkward. "A-Anyway, it's good to see you again. Spike, could you start breakfast?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I'll make some coffee too so I don't pass out," Spike answers, yawning widely. Just as he was about to enter the kitchen, he pauses and glances back. "Wait, breakfast? You remember I can only make biscuits, right?"

"That's fine with me. I'm not looking for something fancy," Twilight affirms. With that, Spike nods and leaves the room, and it isn't long before I hear the clattering of plates and cups. Twilight turns back to me. "Are biscuits alright for you?"

"Why are you asking me?" Her question fills me with a sinking suspicion; one that's confirmed by her subsequent answer.

"So I can share some with you, of course. I would be a bad host if I were to eat my breakfast in front of you without offering any," Twilight replies with a smile.

"Eat your breakfast; I don't care. I don't need food anyway." I immediately turn her down, unwilling to give her even that much. Unfortunately, my treacherous stomach chooses that exact moment to betray me, emitting a mortifyingly loud gurgle. Twilight's bemusement soon turns to amusement as I mentally direct every single curse word in my vocabulary towards my hunger, which had not been satisfied in a full day. I slowly sigh. "You did not just hear that."

"I'm afraid I did!" Twilight giggles at my resulting groan. "Don't be shy, come on and have one or two. They're easy to make and easy to replace."

Considering how hard Twilight tried to argue with me about my beliefs during my previous visit, attempting to argue with her would no doubt earn another irritating inquiry from her. However, I won't just let this go, either.

"I can't say I've had biscuits for breakfast before. Usually I had toast, or eggs if I was at home," I reply as I follow her into the kitchen, slyly letting slip something about my home life. As expected, Twilight's ears perk, and she turns her head to gaze back at me with interest. I then realize what I said and hastily add, "Er… the fact that we eat eggs isn't weird to a pony like you, is it?"

"Oh no, that's something in common between us," Twilight answers. I raise an eyebrow as she ducks around a corner for a moment and returns with the same notepad and quill with which she had been taking notes yesterday. "I suppose it stands to reason that eggs would have been part of the human diet as well, considering their propensity for… for meat."

I can't miss the cringe that crosses Twilight's face as she forces that last word out. I make a mental note to keep my previous diet to myself from now on. Twilight seems able to handle that fact, but I doubt I can say the same for the common pony.

Taking my seat at the table, I wait patiently for breakfast to be served. Spike is standing by the oven, peering through the glass to make sure the biscuits aren't being burnt. It's odd to watch, as it's nearly identical to how a human would do it. The only difference is the gently glowing orb set into the top of the oven that powers the appliance.

"I can tell you about typical human breakfasts if you want," I offer to her. If she takes my offer, then any debt I may incur from eating this meal will be erased. Twilight, who just sat down across from me, brightens up at that, but then she lowers her eyes to my chest.

"I'd love to hear that, but first I have to ask…" Twilight sounds a little anxious as she continues. "Are you alright? You're covered in scrapes...and one of them looks like it was rather serious."

"I'm fine. It would be best if you didn't worry about me," I advise her with a level voice. With any luck, I won't be in her life for long. "More importantly, did you only realize I was hurt just now?"

"No, I noticed you were wearing bandages yesterday, but it didn't seem like you were in pain, so I didn't ask. I thought maybe it may have been a human custom," Twilight explains with a sheepish expression. "But those look like they were bad. How did that happen?"

"Through a combination of pitfalls and horrible luck," I summarize briefly for her. I don't feel the need to share what I went through while I was trapped underground. "Stop worrying about it. As you can see, I'm fine."

"I'm sure they hurt when you move, though," Twilight points out sympathetically. Her eyes widen, as if she'd just thought of something important. "I know! I have a healing spell I've been wanting to try. I can use it on you if you'd like."

Although my immediate thought is to refuse her, the concept of a healing spell is intriguing. "A healing spell? If such a spell exists, does that mean ponies don't need hospitals or medical centers?" I question, curious despite the fact that I know I shouldn't be asking any more questions than necessary.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Twilight admits with a frown. "Here, let me explain. The healing spell I'm talking about is the only one of its kind, and it's near impossible for a normal unicorn to master… or even learn. It requires a significant mana expenditure as well as a working knowledge of the biological make-up of the circulovasucalar system. You wouldn't want to close a wound and clog an artery in the process."

As Twilight is explaining, I hear the oven chime behind her. Spike opens the appliance and retrieves the tray of biscuits, grabbing the metal with his bare claws. Despite how foolhardy it would be for me to do something like that, Spike doesn't seem the least bit uncomfortable from the heat. I suppose it has to do with his rather… unique species.

"It's a surprisingly limited spell as well, as it is only capable of healing physical injuries such as the ones you bear. Thus, standard healthcare relies upon clever use of telekinesis to perform tasks such as resetting broken bones and halting blood loss," Twilight continues. Spike joins us at the table with the tray of tea and biscuits, which Twilight then distributes evenly to each of us. I hesitantly bite into one, finding it fluffy and pleasing to the taste.

"So, you say that normal unicorns can't learn this spell easily. Who else has learned this spell, and what makes you different from other unicorns?" I question further, my suspicions heightened after hearing her explanation.

"She's only the best in all of Equestria!" Spike brags, joining the conversation before Twilight can give a proper answer. I just ignore him, but Twilight flushes.

"Spike! I am not the best; there are plenty of unicorns with more knowledge and experience than myself," Twilight corrects him swiftly, though the dragon doesn't look convinced. She returns her attention to me, looking apologetic. "I have an affinity with magic, so my pool of mana is much larger than normal and it's easier for me to learn complicated spells than the standard unicorn. As for the healing spell itself, I'm not that good at it. I only know of two that have mastered it: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

I've heard more than enough. "So let me get this straight: there's a spell that can heal better than even the latest healthcare practices, and the only ones who know it are royalty. Not to mention, you clearly don't advertise the fact that you can use it - there would be a line that spanned the whole town outside your door if that were the case - and you're willing to use it on a total stranger, free of charge?"

"That's right. Why, is something the matter?" Twilight tilts her head to one side in confusion.

"How stupid do you think I am? If such a spell is so rare and difficult to master, that makes unicorns who can use it extremely valuable. You could demand anything in return from any of your patients… and your patient in this case would be a human whose knowledge could very easily make you rich," I point out, my voice completely devoid of amusement or patience.

Twilight sighs, disappointed. "I wish you wouldn't keep saying that. You make it sound like I'm just trying to use you, and I'm not," she astutely observes. "It's just that I've been working on this spell, and I'd love to test it out. Besides, it's just something I'd do for any of my friends."

"Then find one of your friends to test it out on," I tell her coldly. My words make it very clear to her that I don't consider her a friend. As such, Twilight recoils, looking hurt. "I decline your offer. These scrapes aren't nearly so bad that they require the use of a spell like that."

"I… suppose you're right," Twilight concedes, lowering her head dejectedly. I notice that Spike is glaring at me now; it's likely he also picked up on the hidden meaning in my previous statement and is not happy about it. "I'm sorry, I was just excited to try out a new spell."

I don't respond, instead taking a moment to eat the remainder of my biscuits. The meal is good, but it hardly does much to assuage the hunger gnawing away at me. At least it'll provide a boost I can use to get through the rest of today until I get paid by Vinyl and hopefully by a second prospective employer.

Spike quickly grows uncomfortable from the awkward silence between the three of us. "So… Seth, you were going to talk about human breakfasts, right?" he reminds me.

"Well, I should rephrase. I can tell you about my breakfast, which can't really be used to summarize the entirety of human breakfasts," I correct myself.

"What do you mean by that?" This is enough to get Twilight looking curious and hopeful again, her notepad already lying open on the table in front of her.

"What humans eat for breakfast depends on where they live as well as their culture. I only lived in one small province of a larger country, and traditions vary all over the place. I know little about the breakfasts of other provinces, and even less about those of other countries," I explain to the fascinated librarian, who is already scribbling down notes, her quill scratching against the parchment. "Even then, they can vary among individual families. So if you want accurate info, all I can tell you about is what I ate."

"That's a start! You've already given me more than enough to write an entry on human culture!" Twilight proclaims encouraging. I nod with approval. That means I don't have to tell her much more in order to fulfil my debt for this meal. "Anything you can tell me, no matter how simple, is worthwhile!"

"Alright. Then I can tell you that I personally don't like going to too much effort to eat in the morning, due to my limited time and schedule. Because of that, I prefer simple foods that don't require much preparation…" I begin. Once the conversation begins, Spike settles down, seeming much more content to sit back, eat his biscuits, and listen now that Twilight and I aren't arguing anymore.

Resigning myself to the necessity, I force myself to converse with her in a level tone. In the process, I find that many of what people in my area considered to be normal breakfast foods are unfamiliar to ponies. This doesn't surprise me; I'd be more concerned if ponies knew what poptarts or bacon were.

Twilight encourages me to share everything, despite the fact that my breakfast sometimes included meat. She is certainly uncomfortable with the idea, but it seems that accuracy is more important to her than comfort. Thus, I ended up sharing how bacon was considered a delicacy by those around my age.

"Eep… I'll be sure not to tell Applejack about that. There are pigs that live on her farm, and she's rather fond of them," Twilight reacts, writing down my words. That name is familiar; Applejack is the pony I'm going to see after this. Keeping my previous diet quiet is already a priority, but now it goes double for whenever I meet this Applejack.

Once I finish my explanation, Twilight nods, looking satisfied. "Let me make sure I'm understanding you properly: you had to wake up early and leave not long afterwards, so you grew a liking for foods that were quick and didn't require preparation on your part. This habit even carried over to your days away from school."

"That's right. Food preparation is frustrating and time-consuming, so I stay at home and eat something simple. Unless…" I pause, almost letting slip about the few exceptions that arose. There were times when I'd go out to eat, but it would only ever be with Amaryllis or my family, and Twilight doesn't need to hear about them. I readjust my statement to keep Twilight from getting suspicious. "Unless I had nothing simple. Then I'd have to make it myself, and resolve to immediately resupply during my next outing."

"Oh? Were you good at cooking?" Twilight thankfully doesn't catch on to the real reason for my sudden pause.

"Not in the least. It stresses me out, and more often than not the instructions are vague so I'm expected to 'feel out' the process… and that never ends well," I respond.

Twilight giggles. "I can imagine. So it's clear you wouldn't have a cutie mark in cooking."

"Cutie mark?" I echo before I can stop myself, confused at the familiar term. I then realize that I just said the word "cutie," making me want to gag. As sensible as I've been trying to be, that word feels repulsive as it tumbles over my lips.

Twilight looks surprised for only a moment. "Oh, I suppose it stands to reason humans don't have them, considering you were quite adamant that humans didn't possess magic of any kind. I'll be happy to explain!" she expresses genuinely. Twilight angles her flank towards me, showing off the mark there. It's of a magenta six pointed star backed by a similar white star that's been rotated, as well as surrounded by five smaller white stars. "Every young pony gains a cutie mark that signifies his or her special talent. This is my cutie mark! It signifies my special affinity with magic that I mentioned earlier."

"So what, is it permanently dyed on your flank like that?" I question, bemused at such an outlandish difference in culture.

"Dye? No, no, if it was dye, it would eventually disappear as our fur grew and our coats were trimmed," Twilight corrects me. "They appear by magical manifestation as a reflection of our unique internal mana composition!"

"Magic. Of course," I answer her with a nod, though sarcasm practically drips from my tone. I was hoping to hear something that would make sense. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel somewhat envious. I still don't know what my "special talent" would be, though I suppose I'm grateful I don't get a tattoo on my lower hip. "That must make things easier for you. Humans have to find that out on their own."

"Really? That must be very difficult," Twilight gasps, once more scribbling down my revelation in her notepad. Hopefully me giving her that information is of equal value to her explanation on cutie marks. "Getting a cutie mark is hard enough as it is."

"Well, what do you know? Humans have something in common with dragons!" Spike chimes back in, looking at me with a grin. "We don't get those either."

"I should hope not. Your special talent is breathing fire," I retort wryly. A silence falls between us as I finish the cup of tea that was provided along with the meal, and Twilight finishes writing down the rest of what she's learned from our conversation. I wonder if it would be within my rights to demand royalties from her if and when she decides to publish this information. I'm not certain how pony copyright law works.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you what I found during my studies last night!" Twilight suddenly remembers, brightening up. I try not to show it, but my interest has been piqued as well.

"You can certainly talk about it. Whether or not I listen is up to me though," I tell her with a shrug. Twilight puts on a stubborn pout. "Don't look at me like that. You did this for yourself, remember?"

"I do remember, but every scholar's greatest joy is to be able to share their knowledge with another, and you just happen to be right here in front of me." Twilight returns deviously, a small smile forming on her lips. "How convenient for you, don't you think?"

"Not exactly the word I'd use, but whatever, I guess," I sigh, slouching somewhat. Sitting like this without anything to brace my back against is getting tiring. Twilight notices this and stands up from the table.

"Why don't you head over to the front room and rest on a cushion? I just need a minute to clean the dishes and I'll come join you," Twilight offers. I stand as well, liking the idea of resting against that table.

"I can handle the dishes," Spike interjects, surprising Twilight. "What? No seriously, I got this. You spent all night researching that king, so you just worry about that."

"Aw, thanks Spike." Twilight lowers herself down to nuzzle the little dragon's nose. Spike flushes a bit and chuckles bashfully, and then he dashes off to the sink to take care of the remains of our meal. "Then, shall we relocate, Seth?"

I wordlessly accompany Twilight into the front room. After the warm meal and the tea, my body feels much better. I'm not shivering violently anymore, and the chattering of my teeth has ceased. My skin appears to have regained its color, though my hands still feel a little clammy.

Twilight's horn glows briefly. From one of the alcoves carved into the wall above the bookshelves, two cushions fly down to the floor, clutched firmly in her magenta aura. She nudges one of them towards me with a smile.

Attempting to avoid aggravating my side, I gingerly kneel down and move the offered cushion close to the table in the center. Then, I sit down, resting my back against the lip of the table. It's not optimal, but I would feel uncomfortable if I started making myself at home in a public establishment… that also seems to double as her house. I'm not entirely sure how to view this place.

Twilight orients her cushion to be about two feet across from me, and then she sits down on her haunches. She doesn't waste any time in getting started. "First, I'll preface my explanation by stating that I haven't found anything concrete on King Sombra at all," she admits right off of the bat. When she notices my incredulous and displeased expression, she frowns. "It wasn't for lack of trying, I assure you. I closed the library yesterday and went through over half of my store of books, starting from those that were most likely to hold relevant information and moving on to more obscure texts when early results bore no fruit."

Twilight shows me a series of books, lifting them up telekinetically from the shelves and setting them aside in a neat stack once she's certain that I've seen them. I decide to keep quiet about the fact that she'd literally just cleaned the library an hour ago... as well as the fact that I can't read their language.

"First, I read through _Important Ponies of Ages Past_ , but I found nothing, surprisingly enough. Then I searched through _Dynasties of the Old World_ , _Before the Princesses_ , and then even _A Succinct History of Equis_ ," Twilight relates, showing me books that I assume are the ones to which she's referring. She continues on to list more books, such that I lose focus and tone her out… at least until she moves on to her own assumptions. "So far, I'm running on the idea that King Sombra is a pony. As you said, he used a spell of some sort, so he must be a unicorn. Dragons can also weave spells to an extent, though I've never heard of a dragon wearing attire like what you've described."

"Let's hope he's not a dragon," I comment drily. I would be very hardpressed to kill him if that was the case.

"That being said, however, I cannot find a single mention of him. I find this odd, because if he is a pony, we should definitely have some information on him somewhere in the history books. In fact, I'm finding that there are specific areas of Equis that I can't find any information on, and that's not normal," Twilight continues. She's beginning to look fervent and excited; I guess she's really enjoying the challenge. "Specifically, I can't find anything about the Frozen North apart from the precinct of Yakyakistan."

I'm just not going to comment on that name. "So how does that pertain to King Sombra?" I question to get her back on the right track.

"I'm thinking he may be tied to one of these 'history whiteouts,' if he truly is from our era as you claim," Twilight hypothesizes. I let out an exhale of disbelief. If that's true, and pony society is covering up his existence, then perhaps I've stumbled onto something far larger in scope than I ever expected. "Most likely seems to be the Frozen North, as I've at least seen cursory mentions of the other suspect areas."

"That's a start, I suppose," I determine, allowing myself to feel a small manner of satisfaction. It doesn't seem as though Twilight is willing to stop researching this or telling me her results, so I can use this information. If her further research turns up nothing, I'll head to the north once I've saved up enough money to buy thicker clothes and rations. With luck, I'll find out something more about Sombra from the ponies up north.

"Of course, this is all purely conjecture. If you give me some more time, I can search through the rest of my library and see what else I can find out. I may find something on the Frozen North that completely invalidates my previous statements," Twilight proposes. "If not, I'll send a letter to Princess Celestia asking permission to get into the royal archives. Oh, this is so exciting! This is why I enjoy research so much!"

After saying that, she clenches her teeth together and smiles such that she produces a strange noise, almost like someone had squeezed a dog toy, only somewhat less obnoxious. I'm going to assume that's a strange pony way of showing great excitement or happiness.

"You don't need to ask _me_ to give you more time. You're doing this for your own sake, so you have all the time in the world," I remind her stubbornly.

"My point is that you should come by again! I'd love to be able to share what else I find!" Twilight emphasizes, ignoring my pointed words. When I start to feel somewhat reluctant, she leans forward, her smile growing even wider. "Please, I _insist!_ "

I can't help but press myself against the table in an attempt to put some distance between us. I can't understand why she's so fired up about this. I get that she's a scholar and likes learning, as that much was obvious upon meeting her. Despite this, no matter what she says, she's still trying to help me, and I don't understand why; we've already established that she can gain nothing from me in return. Is learning really so important to her that it's better than any reward? I have no answer; I guess I just don't understand this pony.

"I'll come by sometime tomorrow," I answer uncomfortably. I get to my feet, as it feels as though my time here is over. I make sure to grab my rifle in the process. "I have a lot to do today, so I don't have time tonight."

"Alright! I'll mark it in my schedule then." Twilight lifts a wide orderly sheaf of paper from the table behind me with her magic and proceeds to scribble something down on it. I can make out a grid on the paper, so it's likely a calendar. "You found something to do in the town today?"

"More or less. What manner of business that is, however, is my own," I point out to her clearly. I'm worried that Twilight will start getting too friendly if I keep visiting her like this, and I can't have her holding me back in any way if I do leave Ponyville to go north.

Twilight nods understandingly. "I won't pry if you'd rather me not," she assures me as I make my way towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then, okay?"

I nod wordlessly and step back outside into the chilly air. I inadvertently shiver, still remembering how frozen I was this morning. Thankfully it seems to be warmer now by several degrees, thanks to the sun's rays shining down over the tops of the buildings. As I walk through the now much busier streets, the sun warms my skin to the point where I feel comfortable.

Although my presence in the town is still an oddity for the ponies who live here, it seems as though their interest in me is waning, as I only get curious stares this time around. Perhaps the word of my appearance is spreading. come to think of it, a seemingly popular musician announced the name of my kind to a large crowd at her performance. Therefore, it's no surprise that ponies are learning what I am. I'm not sure how fast news of my presence will spread to other settlements, but either way I shouldn't stay in this town any longer than is absolutely necessary.

Sticking to the sunlight, I make my way through the town. My next order of business is to find Applejack's farm. Using what I remember from my overhead view by the forest as well as my own wanderings last night, I make my way to the northwestern part of town. The amount of ponies walking through the streets thins as I approach the apple orchard, suggesting that the farm is on the outskirts of town. I wince; this is going to be a rather lengthy walk.

As I step onto a small wooden bridge that crosses over a tributary of the main river, my rifle drags against the planks. I pause and glance down at the mangled weapon in bemusement. I've been carrying this around with me ever since I left the school in the hopes that I could use it as a bludgeoning weapon, but now I seem to be past that point. I honestly have no use for it now.

I might as well discard it. I step to the edge of the bridge and lift the rifle over the edge. If I drop it into the stream here, it'll eventually rust to nothing. Even if a pony finds it, it's too far gone to ever be repaired or reverse engineered, especially if the ponies haven't developed gunpowder yet.

When I try to loosen my grip, I find that I can't. It would be so easy to release it and watch it fall into the stream, but… I can't bring myself to do so. The thought of continuing further without my rifle makes me feel a rising sense of anxiety and panic, though I can't seem to come to any logical reason as to why I feel that way. Instead, the only thing that comes to my mind is… I don't want to let go.

I withdraw the rifle back to my side, and the feelings subside. I'm utterly bewildered as to why I would feel that way so suddenly, but without a reasonable explanation, I set that aside. If it's going to be such a big deal, I'd rather keep the rifle here with me. If only so I won't be so defenseless in case something happens.

Once I'm across the bridge, the town gives way to a grassy plain stretching before me, complete with a dirt road upon which I tread. I can see the entrance to the farm in the far distance, but it seems like it'll be a good ten minute walk. There's no point in wasting time, so I get started, moving forward at a normal walking pace. Farmwork is very labor intensive, so should I get this second job, I'll need all the stamina I can get. I just hope I can do it, what with all these injuries I still bear.

The closer I get to the farm, the more trees start to encroach along the edges of the path. It's a rather enjoyable walk now that it's warmer and nature is coming to life. All things considered, Ponyville is a pleasant enough town, if I ignore the fact that it's inhabited solely by colorful ponies. The architecture is nice to look at, and the town blends seamlessly with the nature around it. Therefore, the area feels as though the town is living harmoniously with nature, rather than shoving it aside to make way for urbanization. Obviously I can't generalize about humanity's building habits, but I do know that nature came secondary to the expansion of the college that I once attended.

Some time later, as I near the farm, I become aware that I'm no longer alone. At first I start to feel a little uneasy, as though I'm being watched. However, I eventually hear the soft beating of wings in the air above and behind me. It's likely that, assuming it's a pegasi that's following me, he or she has some business with the farm. I don't doubt that the place gets some traffic, given how important it must be to the town.

I step to the side to let the pony pass me by, pretending to lean down and check my shoes. Despite my previous assumption, the beating wings don't pass overhead, but instead stay in place. My suspicions rising, I get back up and continue walking. Sure enough, the hidden pegasus follows.

I halt in place, coming to the only possible conclusion; this pegasus's business must be with me. "That's enough. If you have something to say to me, come down here and say it. I don't have time for whatever it is you're doing," I address the hidden pegasus, my tone heavily laden with annoyance.

"Well, _excuse_ me for not knowing how to approach a human!" an equally annoyed female voice returns, sarcasm present in her tone. Her voice is rough and scratchy, with the timbre of a youthful alto.

I believe this is the first time I've heard a pony act as sarcastic as I can be. Curious, I turn to see the most brightly colored pegasus I've ever seen soaring down to the ground, her hooves kicking up the dirt as she skids to a halt.

At first I have to squint, as this pony is so colorful that it briefly hurts my eyes to look at her. The most normal aspect to her design is that her coat is a light shade of cerulean. Her mane, on the other hand, is an unkempt mess that flops untidily over her brow and around one side of her neck. It's colored all six colors of the rainbow, each one somehow separated from the others to the point where each color forms its own distinct stripe. The red, orange, and yellow stripes rest on her brow, and the green, blue, and violet stripes are what wraps around her neck. Her tail is all six colors.

To top off her unusual appearance, her cutie mark is of a thunder cloud from which a tricolor lightning bolt protrudes. Twilight said each cutie mark is supposed to signify the special talent of each individual pony, but I can't even fathom a guess as to what this one could mean.

"It's good that you know what I am. Yet still, I can think of at least five other ways to approach someone than by following them," I point out to her. The pony is obviously female, given from her voice and smaller frame… though one abnormality about her is that her muscles are very clearly defined. "As far as I can tell, we haven't met. Why are you following me?"

"Two things. First of all, you're a human. Just for that I wanted to see what you looked like," the mare responds as though her words should be self-explanatory.

"That doesn't make sense. How did you know I am a human if you don't know what we look like?" I question her, even though I'm sure I know the answer. She could have heard about me from Vinyl's fans, Lyra, or Twilight. Nevertheless, I'd like to know for certain.

"Have you looked at yourself? How many other creatures walk around on two legs?" the mare points out with a grin. I frown; this pony is starting to rub me the wrong way. Instead of just answering me plainly, she's treating me like I'm stupid. "Plus, I read the books. Though you look nothing like I expected. Your mane's all boring, and you don't look strong at all."

A firm sense of dislike for her makes its home in my mind. Everything she's saying comes across as condescending, and that's one of the quickest ways to make me angry.

"No doubt anyone's mane looks boring to you," I grunt, gritting my teeth with animosity. "I trust your curiosity has been satisfied. What's the second reason you sought me out?"

The mare approaches me, her grin fading away. "I heard about you from Flitter. She said you ditched her early in the morning before she left for work," she accuses me. "What's up with that?"

"I hardly think that's your business," I state, crossing my arms. The mare huffs in frustration. She looks like she's about to insist, so I attempt to redirect the conversation. "Should you really be confronting total strangers off of hearsay? Who are you, anyway?"

"Me? The name's Rainbow Dash: captain of the Ponyville Weather Team and the fastest flier in Equestria!" the mare seems very happy to introduce herself, her grin returning as she presses a hoof to her chest proudly.

I stare at her mutely for a few moment. Everything this pony says just causes me to dislike her further. In addition to her overall condescending tone, she's revealed that she has an inflated ego… another trait that I dislike in a person.

"I see… the fastest," I repeat disbelievingly. At the very least, I should introduce myself in turn. "I'm Seth Rogers."

"That's right, Seth, I'm the fastest! There's not a single pony out there that can match me… unless you count the Wonderbolts, but they're special," Rainbow continues to brag, spreading her wings as if to show them off. When she notices my less than interested look, her grin widens. "What, you don't believe me?"

"I honestly don't care," I tell her flatly, my patience at its end. Captain of the weather team or not, I see no benefit to continuing this conversation. She needs to know that I'm not someone she can just lead around by the nose. "Whether or not you're the fastest really doesn't matter to me."

Rainbow looks as though I physically struck her. The grin falls from her face immediately and her eyes widen almost imperceptibly. People, or ponies in this case, who have overinflated egos are best deterred when their accomplishments are ignored. In this way, I hope to give her the idea that her boasts are both unwanted and a waste of my time.

Her head droops and her posture becomes noticeably less lively than before. It seems I was right, and I really hit her where it hurts. Any guilt that surfaces in me from seeing this is quickly quashed by my mental assertions that any distractions from my goal cannot be tolerated.

"You're really kind of a jerk," Rainbow returns, giving me a bitter stare. "No wonder you gave Flitter such a hard time."

"If you must know, my interactions with her were, as far as I'm concerned, a means to exchange information. Any further actions on her part were both unwarranted and unnecessary," I explain with a heavy sigh. "She really has no reason to complain."

"What are you talking about? Of course she does! She wanted to help you, and you threw her attempts back in her face!" Rainbow snaps back disbelievingly, her eyes flashing as she leaps to the defense of the pony who I'm assuming is a friend of hers. "Not to mention you were rude about it!"

"I wasn't rude; I was firm. I never asked for her help, and despite my earlier efforts to get her to stop trying, she insisted. A firm approach was the only thing that would work with her," I correct Rainbow's assumption. No doubt she's leaping to conclusions.

"Oh yeah? You call just ditching her without a word a 'firm approach?' She was just trying to be friendly!" Rainbow shoots back fervently. "Though clearly you don't know the meaning of the word! I even tried to introduce myself and you wouldn't even let me!"

My first reaction is to sigh once more. Unlike the other ponies I've met, this one doesn't seem to be the kind that'll back down with my usual approach. I don't enjoy doing this, but I'm going to have to be entirely honest with her about where she stands with me. I look Rainbow directly in the eyes.

"I'll be straight with you. So far, every pony I've met has been far too intrusive and prying in their attempts to 'be friendly,' and then they all get offended when I refuse. Frankly, I'm quite tired of it. I have no intentions on making friends with any of you, and clearly _that_ concept seems to be foreign with all of you," My tone gets harder and sharper with every word I say to her. "I'm here to conduct research and gear up for a task, and once I'm finished, you'll never see me again. All you're doing now is wasting everyone's time."

Rainbow is rendered speechless for a few moments after I finish my statement, though it's clear that won't last very long. She grits her teeth roughly and narrows her eyes at me.

"Graaagh! You are the rudest, nastiest, and meanest creature I think I've ever met!" Rainbow rages, her front forehooves squeezing at the air. She spreads her wings and leaps into the air in a hover. "With an attitude like that, I don't even want to be friends with you! In fact, I don't think even _Pinkie_ would want to be friends with you!"

Rainbow gets right up in my face, causing me to involuntarily take a step back. "You know what? I'm going to tell Flitter she's better off without you, and then I'm going to tell Pinkie not to even bother! Hurry up and get out of Ponyville already, and then I hope you have fun being alone all the time!" After she finishes her tirade, Rainbow zips away in the other direction with a blinding speed, to the point where I can barely track her with my eyes. In fact, the only evidence that she was here to begin with is the fading rainbow trail left by her swift exit.

I stare after her for a few moments, feeling somewhat pensive. Come to think of it, she's the only pony so far that has yelled back at me like that. In fact, that's the first time somebody has yelled back at me in general in quite some time. I think the last person to do so was Amaryllis… though obviously there's no comparison between the two.

After making sure that Rainbow's outburst didn't disturb anyone who might have been nearby, I continue on my way to the farm. That was a rather unwelcome distraction, but hopefully I've resolved both the Rainbow and the Flitter issues in the process. I don't mind if Rainbow goes around telling everyone to hate me; I've already achieved that for which I came to Ponyville. All that's left is to gather the materials for the trip, which with luck, will only take me between a few days to a week.

Once I near the farm, the trees on either side of me give way to a large open clearing, bordered by a white wooden fence. The entrance to the farm itself is a white archway wreathed in leaves and apples. However, the most noticeable feature is the sizeable barnhouse situated atop a small hill in the center of the clearing. The building is roughly rectangular and constructed entirely out of wood and plaster that has been painted a vibrant red and white. To better clarify the design, the main barn has two floors as well as a spire that supports an apple-themed weathervane. Lastly, there is a separate wing adjoined to the left side of the barn.

Casting my gaze around reveals that the farm expands across a great deal of land. It soon becomes apparent that while the apple trees behind the barn are greatly numerous, it is far from the only crop that's being cultivated. To my left, stalks of corn sprout from the neatly tilled fields, and further back I notice rows of carrots planted on a hill, atop of which is a small two floored building that looks to be storage for the harvested crops.

On my right as I walk inside is a fenced in chicken coop. Twilight told me that ponies eat eggs like us, so it isn't that strange to see it here. There's also a line of smaller red shacks lining the fence on the far side of the clearing. I can't quite make out their purpose, but I do notice bales of hay stacked up alongside them.

There are some ponies working the corn and carrot fields in the distance, but I don't see any ponies in my general area just yet. Unwilling to stand and wait around to be noticed, I walk through the white archway and look around the area. The one I need to speak with is called Applejack, if I remember correctly.

As I get closer to the barn, I hear a loud hammering coming from the near the orchard fence. Drawn to the sound, I make my way around the side of the barn until I reach the rear, where I find the source.

There's a small, pale yellow pony standing by the fence, a hammer clenched tightly in its mouth. Unlike Twilight or Rainbow, she possesses no horn or wings. Beside it is a bucket filled with nails, with which the pony is using to repair some minor damage in the wooden construction. With its forehoof, the pony would somehow manage to lift and position a nail on the fence and then swing its head repeatedly until the nail is firmly embedded in the wood.

This pony, whom I assume is a mare judging from the pink bow fastened to the back of its ruby colored mane, is much smaller than the ponies I've seen so far. In addition, unlike every other pony I've seen, there is a distinct lack of a cutie mark on her flank. Twilight mentioned that all ponies receive them to signify their special talent. Does this mean this pony doesn't have a special talent, or that she hasn't found it yet?

Either way, the mare appears much younger than other ponies, which makes the word "filly" more applicable in this case. This means I'm looking at the pony equivalent of a child. I mentally resign myself to dealing with her; I'm not too fond of children in any regard.

The hammer slips in the filly's mouth and she ends up hitting her own hoof instead, rather than the nail. "Yowch!" she squeaks in a youthful voice, dropping the nail and the hammer in the process. "Aw, where'd that darn nail go…?"

The filly happens to turn around and spot me just as I'm beginning my approach. She freezes instantly, her eyes turning wide. A sinking feeling comes over me, but before I can say anything to assuage the fear she's likely feeling, the filly emits a screech of terror and leaps over the back fence, sprinting into the apple orchard without regard to the tools she left behind.

"Stupid," I berate myself, planting my face in my hand. I should have given the filly some warning before approaching her. Of course these farmers would have no idea what I am. Considering they live all the way out here away from the main town, I doubt the news of my arrival in town would have reached them yet. Plus, I doubt any of them are educated enough to know what a human would look like.

I turn on one heel as I hear a door slam open behind me. No doubt summoned by the scream of the filly, a large stallion emerges from the back of the barn. This has to be the largest pony I've ever seen; he easily reaches up to my shoulders. Deep red fur covers his heavily muscled body, and a messy orange mane hangs from his neck. For a cutie mark, there's a cross section of a McIntosh apple. Like the filly, he doesn't have a horn or wings.

My first thought is to raise my hands disarmingly, to show this pony that I'm not a threat. With a pony this size and with muscles like that, a single kick from his back legs could easily crush my rib cage. To my surprise, the stallion's look of alarm fades the moment he sees me.

"Thought you might have been a timberwolf," he explains simply, his voice a deep bass. He closes the door behind him with a nudge of a hoof, and then he approaches me. I've never heard that word before, so I raise an eyebrow. The stallion seems to understand, and he indicates towards the right with his head. "Wooden wolves. They live in the Everfree."

I swear I feel my chest twinge painfully from his explanation. Now I have a name for those wireframe wolves that nearly put an end to me. I follow the stallion's head until I catch sight of the sprawling twisted trees in the far distance. That's the forest I came from; I didn't realize the farm was so close to it. Now I have a name for it as well: the Everfree Forest.

"I've run into them once… as you can likely see," I respond, grateful that at least this pony seems to be sensible. The stallion notes my chest injuries and nods understandingly. "You're probably still wondering what I am though."

"Nope," the stallion answers with a simple shake of his head. "I know what you are."

"That's refreshing, if unexpected," I comment. I guess I stand corrected about my earlier statement. This farmer appears to be more educated than I originally gave him credit for. It gets quiet as the stallion just gazes at me wordlessly, so I change the topic. "That makes this easier. You work here?"

"Yup. Family owns the farm." he answers tersely. The more he talks, the more apparent his rustic accent becomes. He politely extends a hoof to me. " My name is Big MacIntosh."

I glance at the hoof briefly, and then I accept the shake just as politely. If he's part of the family that runs the place, it behooves me to be as polite as possible, just as I acted with Vinyl the previous night. I decide to cut to the chase. "I'm Seth Rogers. I'm new to Equestria, so I came here looking for a job."

Big MacIntosh's expression shifts almost imperceptibly. He looks at me different, and starts to look me over, as though sizing me up. He gives an unsure hum after a few moments.

"You sure you can handle it?" the stallion questions. He indicates my injuries with a hoof. "You're injured."

"They're healing quickly, and don't restrict my movement that much. I don't believe they'll be an insurmountable obstacle." It's difficult to tell what this stallion is thinking, so all I can do is attempt to ease any worries he might have.

Big MacIntosh ponders for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I think we can use you," he decides. I have to stifle a sigh of relief upon hearing that. Perhaps I won't be doomed to freeze tonight after all. However, as satisfying as that is to hear, I was led to believe this Applejack was in charge. I won't complain if this pony has the authority to hire me as well, but I hope that doesn't pose an issue if and when Applejack finds out.

"Wait here," he directs me, and then he retreats back into the barn momentarily. When he returns, it's with a wheelbarrow tied to a brown harness around his neck. Inside are various farm tools. Some of them I recognize, such as weed clippers and filled, covered water pails, while with others I am unfamiliar. Wordlessly, Big MacIntosh begins walking towards the corn fields.

I assume the rather quiet stallion intends for me to follow, so I keep pace with him. Eventually, he comes to a halt by the first corn field and upends the wheelbarrow with a quick flick of a hoof, emptying the tools on the dirt in a neat pile.

"Snow's coming, and there's a lot to be harvested," Big MacIntosh explains as he ambles towards the cornfield. I realize that he likely wants help harvesting all of that corn. There does look to be too much for one pony to handle on his own in a reasonable amount of time. "Ever worked with corn before?"

"Can't say that I have," I admit honestly. One fact I omit is that I've never worked a full day's worth of physical labor. I'm sure this job is going to be brutal, but I don't have much of a choice.

"Watch me," Big MacIntosh directs. As I watch, he nears an ear of corn and grasps it firmly in his mouth. He yanks downward, and angles his head so that the ear is twisted and wrenched free from the stalk. Then, he places the ear into the wheelbarrow. "You try."

I set my rifle in the pile with the other tools. Then, I walk up beside him and replicate the same motions he used, only with my hands. It's not to hard to separate the ears from the stalks; in fact, I think my hands make it easier for me than it is for him. Whether or not I'm right can't be determined though, as the only acknowledgment Big MacIntosh gives is an approving nod. Together, the two of us start to work down the first line of corn, slowly filling the wheelbarrow as we go.

We're only working for a few minutes before the yellow filly from before returns with a second, older mare in tow. This new one, like the others, is just a normal pony with a vibrant orange coat and a hay colored mane and tail, both of which are tied at the ends with lengths of red twine. Her cutie mark is unsurprisingly apple themed, consisting of three red apples.

To top off her appearance, she wears a brown stetson hat on her head, the article tilted back somewhat to keep from obscuring her vision. Lastly, her face is freckled by spots of lighter fur.

Her stance becomes aggressive as the two of them spot me, but when they get close enough to see what we're doing, she and the filly both pause, unsure what to make of us.

"Apple Bloom, ain't this the monster you mentioned?" the mare questions the filly, her voice a rich alto tinted with a very distinct accent, similar to the one Big MacIntosh possesses.

"That's it! It came from around the barn!" the filly squeaks in the high pitched tone of a young girl barely entering adolescence.

The mare looks unconvinced, her stance relaxing. "Don't look so monstrous to me. Plus, it's helping Big Mac," she reasons to the younger filly. She then raises her voice. "Big Mac! You got a moment?"

Big MacIntosh glances over at me. "Take a break," he tells me, even though we had barely even begun. Though I suppose this encounter was unavoidable. Together, he and I leave the wheelbarrow where it is and approach the two ponies. Upon our arrival, the filly, Apple Bloom, hides behind the older mare.

"This fellow came looking for a job," is all Big MacIntosh gives in the way of explanation, and then he gives me a nod. In other words, he wants me to speak for myself. I suppose that's fair.

"Did he now?" the mare seems both surprised and pleased by that. She glances up to me and makes an apologetic face. "Well now. Sorry about the rude welcome, by the way. Apple Bloom didn't mean no harm; you just ain't like anything we've seen before."

"So I'm beginning to understand," I respond. My words are wry, but my tone is even. Before I can say anything else, the mare snatches my hand from my side with her hoof and shakes it enthusiastically. Her grip is surprisingly tight and her strength is apparent, as after the first few moments of shaking my arm starts to ache.

"I'm Applejack, and my family runs the farm, though I reckon Big Mac already told you that," she introduces herself happily. I nod, recognizing the name with some relief. It appears my earlier worries were groundless. "It's a pleasure making your acquaintance, sir. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Always nice to see a new face!"

"Thank you. My name is Seth Rogers," I respond, somewhat uncomfortable from her sheer enthusiasm. I'm not used to receiving this kind of greeting from anyone, so I'm not entirely sure how to respond to her. "I've heard about you from the other ponies in town."

"Only good things, I hope," Applejack chuckles good-naturedly, releasing my hand at last and setting her hoof on the ground once more. She then gives the filly a little nudge. "This little one is my sis, Apple Bloom."

"I'm not that little!" Apple Bloom protests, causing her sister to pat her on the head, much to her chagrin.

"Seems like you've already met Big Mac here. You got my thanks for helping out with the harvest," Applejack remarks, dipping her head out of gratitude. She gives me a friendly smile. "You were looking for a job? What drove you here? No offense, but you don't look all that fit."

"None taken. A physical career wasn't exactly my primary focus," I accidentally let slip in an attempt to keep up my polite facade. I was so focused on reining myself in that I unwittingly left her a hook that will no doubt pique her curiosity. Sure enough, her head is tilting. "I'm here because I'm new in Equestria and I need a way to make money. I heard you were looking for help because of the upcoming winter."

"You heard right. There's so much to do this time of year, and we're pressed for time. We can usually manage, but by then we're plum tuckered out." Applejack admits. "New to Equestria, huh? You come from down south?"

"It's a bit of a long story." I struggle to keep the annoyance out of my voice at her increasingly prying questions. "Suffice to say, I'm not here by choice."

"Ooh, sorry to hear that," Applejack responds with a troubled frown. She does her best to give me a reassuring expression. "I think we can help you out. Big Mac, you mind if I borrow Mr. Rogers from you?"

"Nope." Big MacIntosh dips his head and returns to the cornfield alone, as if he had been expecting such an outcome.

"Good. Alright, first, Apple Bloom, could you get back to work on that fence?" Applejack directs her sister. "Then when you're finished, go back and help Granny Smith back at the barn. There're some chores around there that still need doing."

"Alright, sis!" Apple Bloom acknowledges with a smile. Before leaving to do as she was told, she gives me an apologetic frown. "Sorry for screaming at you, Mr. Rogers."

I give her a terse nod, but I don't say anything else. However, It's enough to make her smile briefly before running back to the fence. Now I'm left alone with Applejack. The mare motions towards the apple trees in the distance and then walks in that direction. I take a moment to grab my rifle from the pile of tools, and then I fall into step beside her.

"I have to say, it's right convenient you showed up when you did, Mr. Rogers," Applejack expresses happily as she leads me past the fence and into the orchard. "I was just mentioning to Granny how we were running out of time before the first snows."

"You can just call me Seth," I inform her, getting tired of being referred to so formally. It feels strange to be called that, after being referred to just by my first name for most of my life.

"Works for me. Seth's easier to say anyhow," Applejack comments with a smile. She weaves to our right through the trees until we come to one particular tree next to which is a wooden cart half filled with wooden baskets. Many of these baskets are filled to the brim with luscious red and green apples, while others are empty. Several of the empty baskets are arranged in an oddly specific manner around the tree. "You any good at apple bucking?"

"I… can't say I've ever heard the term," I confess, watching Applejack trot over towards the tree.

"That's okay, I'll show you. Stay back a moment," Applejack directs me. I obediently stand over by the cart, resting my back against the stationary vehicle. Once she notes that I'm out of the way, Applejack turns her back to the tree and gives it a powerful kick with her back two legs.

To my utter shock, the entire tree shakes from the impact with such force that each and every apple in the tree is dislodged, falling to the ground like rain. I can't help but stare in awe. Such a feat would require a great deal of strength; strength that one wouldn't think such a small pony could possess, but here it seems as though it doesn't take much effort on Applejack's part at all.

The apples fall into the placed baskets with precision, with only one or two apples falling on the ground. It's almost as if Applejack knew where the apples would fall beforehand and used that knowledge to determine where the baskets should go. However, each tree is different, so this makes it seem as though she knows her trees to the point where she can determine where each apple will fall. Not only is Applejack deceptively strong, but she's a lot smarter than I initially gave her credit for.

"That's what apple bucking is. You think you can do that?" Applejack questions, walking up to me. She's not even breathing harder after that unreal show of strength.

I immediately shake my head. "That's just not possible. I'm nowhere near that strong. My legs would break if I tried," I admit. Applejack nods, taking another look at my legs muscles.

"I thought so. Like I said earlier, you ain't got much muscle," Applejack observes. She smiles and presses a hoof to my leg in an attempt to reassure me. "No big deal. I still know a way you can help."

"I can help you lift those baskets onto the cart," I offer, indicating the filled apple baskets by the tree.

"That's just what I was thinking," Applejack agrees, nodding approvingly. "This'll go faster if I have you doing the lifting and placing for me while I buck the trees. We'll toughen you up in no time!"

"Sounds like fun." As much as I've been trying to rein myself in, I can't help but say something sarcastic. Thankfully, Applejack takes it in stride, giving a chuckle.

"Come on, let's get started. We've got a lot of apple bucking to get done before the day's done. Get ready to feel that burn, Seth!" Applejack asserts, rearing up and kicking her front hooves out of excitement.

I heave a sigh and move to pick up the first of the baskets. I can't complain too much; I did ask for this. Either way, this is going to be the longest day I've ever had.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**  
This one gave me a little bit of trouble, though only because the farm scene got a little slow.

Like before, the same problems were there. I'm not sure what I hoped to gain by making a character that looked at all these beloved show characters and insulted them constantly for no good reason. Like, Seth talking to Applejack, treating her with little to no respect, and talking in his narrative about how ridiculous she was. Thankfully, most of the rewrite went simply, as I believe I have Seth's early character well established. I always intended for him to be the silent cynic whose true feelings only came to the forefront when pressed, yet nobody ever got this impression in the original version.

My objectives for the rewrites haven't changed, but there were some changes made for flavor or to fit more in line with Seth's new early character.

 **Here are the notable changes in the story:**

-Fixed Seth's original wake up scene to be consistent with the previous rewrite: he slept beneath a bridge, not in the park

-Seth would now suffer from hypothermia, as I realized when reading through that he slept outside in late november. Sleeping outside would be a very poor decision (only 40 F outside) and downright suicide to sleep in the open.

-Seth's meeting with Flitter was adjusted to be more than just simple filler. Now, the whole point was for her to reveal to him that sleeping outside this time around would certainly mean his death. It also provided a means for me to believably tie Rainbow Dash into this chapter.

-Fixed the meeting with Twilight to be more than just "by the way, figured out nothing about Sombra, here's a healing cop out and some exposition." I feel bad that I only used her character to remove his injuries and serve as a font of knowledge for him to draw from. She's not a resource to be used, she's Twilight Sparkle, a deep character in her own right. Thus, I had her make some inferences from her lack of knowledge and show how if she were given enough direction, she'd find out about Celestia and Luna's cover up on her own. She's a smart girl

-Kept the healing spell, but had Seth never let her use it. This way I could set the precedence for its use later in the story, but not use it to cop out of Seth's early injuries.

-Fixed Seth's wanton vulgarity. "Butt tattoos." What, did I think I was being cool by having him refer to them like that? God, how edgy was the previous me who wrote this?

-Added a scene that showed Seth's emotional anchor to that rifle, which is one of the only reasons he's still alive.

-a certain zdaysavior told me that Rainbow crashing into the MC was very cliche, and considering how important she was the story as a whole, I was inclined to agree with him. Thus, I reworked that whole scene to be something more than just a chance to show Seth being a dick to yet another pony. At that point, I don't blame people for quitting the story.

This way, I could show how Rainbow and Seth got off on the wrong foot (so to speak), similarly to how he and Amaryllis acted when they first met. Seth didn't like how Rainbow spoke to him like he was beneath her (even if that wasn't her intention), and Rainbow couldn't understand why Seth was being so cold. So the original feeling between the two of them is the same, but now the interaction is much more organic.

-Anyne once pointed out that it seemed to him (or her) that the Apples didn't have enough money to pay Seth. I don't agree with this, so I decided to make it more clear how well off the Apples truly are. The farm, judging from pictures, is more than just an apple farm. You'd be surprised how many people miss this...how even I missed it what with the way the show depicted the family plowing fields. Apple trees don't need plowed fields. That should have been our first clue that they harvest more crops than just apples. Even from the picture of Sweet Apple, I see carrots and corn. So in this chapter, I wanted to make this variety clear by describing the farm better, and actually having Big Mac work with Seth on corn momentarily.

-I changed the way he interacted with the Apple family. My editors pointed out that Seth stated how he should be respectful to his employers, yet he never showed respect to his employers. In other words, he contradicted himself. Not only did I have him meet Big Mac first rather than Applejack to shake things up, I had him treat the whole family with respect. Not brown-nosing, just reining his sarcastic and cynical nature in so that he wouldn't annoy them. He needs to get a job with them. He had no excuse for acting like a brat in the original. Speaking of which, he kept talking smack about Applejack in the narrative, which may have given people the impression that I don't like Applejack. That's not true in the slightest. I removed all of that entirely. Nobody likes a whiny MC.

-Removed Applejack's overexaggerated accent. Brave pointed out that all it did was make her sound like an uneducated hillbilly rather than a country girl. I was trying to write like Mark Twain for some reason, and it ended up being to Applejack's detriment. So I removed all of that, stated in the narrative that she spoke with a rustic accent, and instead used diction to show her accent.

-Probably my favorite note is that when I wrote "Let's git 'er done! Yeehaw!" in the original, both of my editors highlighted it in the GDOC and had this to say:

Brave-Hooves: No

ScootalooFTW: Agreed

Needless to say, that part was removed.

Now that I've gone through all of that, I only have two chapters left before I've finished rewriting the first arc. After that, I'll finish Wilting Flower, and get back to my rewrites. I want to be proud of Tales of the Oppressed when I show it to my friends and family, and not feel like I have to explain to them why some parts of it are bad.

So once more I'd like to beseech you to go and leave a comment there letting me know what you think of the changes, and whether or not it's better than the original. Your comments always help me determine what I did well and what I didn't.


	6. Working Class Hero

The work is every bit as difficult and strenuous as expected. Initially, the job appeared to be simple and thoughtless, requiring nothing more than physical effort on my part, yet as time goes on, my muscles grow heavy and burn like fire with every exertion. A thin sheen of sweat soon coats my body, soaking into the denim of my jeans, covering my upper body, and rolling down my brow. It's a good thing it's only chilly and not freezing just yet, or I would certainly catch something. To add to the ever increasing discomfort, my side aches painfully as well.

The task is very repetitive and dull. According to Applejack, the whole apple orchard needs to be harvested before the winter comes and the snow starts to fall. Considering the size of this orchard, there's possibly hundreds of apple trees that still need to be harvested before then. I have to stifle my groans, knowing that this difficult monotonous job is going to be my whole afternoon.

Every hour or so, the wagon becomes filled to capacity, requiring Applejack and I to return to the central area where the barn is located in order to store the harvested apples. After Applejack leads me to a cellar located underneath the main barn, the two of us unload the baskets of apples and empty them into tightly packed barrels, which are then sealed. It's colder down here than it is outside, likely for the same reason Twilight's library remains warm in this weather. It's somewhat interesting to see, as I've never been familiar with how apples were stored during the winter.

Moving on to Applejack herself, she's not an overbearing taskmaster. Her diction is rather unspecific and rustic; for example, sometimes she'll use general terms to describe certain objects. Despite this, it's usually clear as to what she's referring to, and doesn't detract from her overall meaning. She's very efficient and to the point, her words leaving little room for interpretation. She also does a great job at keeping me in working order, as she regularly stops by the living area to fill up provided canteens with water to bring with us. She's not stupid; she knows that it's vital we stay hydrated.

The only issue I have with Applejack is her attempts to make friendly conversation. She hasn't asked anything too personal just yet, so it's been simple for me to deflect her attempts with short, clipped answers or grunts, but if she's like any of the other ponies, it's only a matter of time.

"Alright, Seth, let's take a short break," Applejack announces partly after we return from one of our unloading trips. Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, I estimate four hours have passed since we've started working. Even though it's only been such a short time, I'm exhausted, and it takes every last ounce of willpower not to sigh in relief at the welcome respite.

Applejack snickers as she watches me slide my back down against a tree. My breathing is clearly audible and doesn't come to me easily, my chest heaving. "You ain't done an honest day's work in your whole life, have you?" she observes with an amused smile. Standing in stark contrast to my sorry state, Applejack's breathing is steady and composed.

"Is it that obvious?" I can't help but say, sarcasm finding its way into my voice. Applejack just chuckles as she sits down on her haunches beside me. "If you're worried about my ability to continue, don't be. I'm not giving up."

"That's good to hear. I reckon you'll get a lot stronger by the end of the harvest season," Applejack reasons. "All this exercise can only do you good."

I know she's right, yet it doesn't make me feel any better. It's difficult to feel optimistic about what could happen in the future when there's nothing but pain to come. I certainly hope this gets easier… though I should keep it realistic. I likely won't be here long enough to reap any benefits from repeated workouts like this. As for how long that'll be...

"Applejack," I pant after taking a long draught from my canteen. Applejack glances over curiously. "It's probably rude of me to ask, but how much are you willing to pay me for this?"

"That ain't rude. It's only natural you'd want to know. I doubt you're here for the fun of it," Applejack teases me gently, tilting her hat so that it shades her eyes from the sun. I do my best to keep from rolling my eyes. "I figured I'd give you a bit for every hour you work. It ain't much, but y'all get breaks and dinner included in that. Provided that the breaks are short of course."

"A bit every hour?" That sounds abysmally low, even for a minimum wage employee. Granted, I say that assuming the one to one basis, in which case I'd be making a dollar an hour. This time, however, I have to ask. "How much is a bit actually worth?"

"Right, I forgot you ain't from Equestria," Applejack recalls, nodding understandingly. "One bit'll get you about ten or twelve apples, depending on size and season of course."

"I see," I respond, mulling over her answer. I haven't bought any apples personally, nor did I pay much attention in passing when I went to shop for groceries during my era, so I'm not certain how well that translates into American currency. However, ten apples is enough food to get me through a majority of the day while hydrating me at the same time.

"Speaking of apples," Applejack glances at one of the baskets that we just finished filling. With a quick flick of her hoof, she opens her mouth wide enough to chomp down on the apple whole, her strong jaws crushing it to pieces. The mare appears extremely satisfied with the morsel, apple juice trickling down her chin. "Mm-mm! Delicious!"

"You sure you can eat your own merchandise like that?" I question her, raising an eyebrow at the sight.

Applejack wipes off her chin with a hoof and swallows. "It's no big deal," she dismisses. When she notices me looking less than satisfied by that answer, she continues. "With all these apples we harvest, we're bound to get more than we can sell. So it's fine if we eat an apple here and there."

"So you're saying your farm regularly produces surplus crop," I reiterate to make sure I understand her correctly. Applejack nods in confirmation. "That makes sense, I suppose."

With that in mind, I take one of the apples as well. If what she's saying is true, then I'd technically be doing her a favor by reducing the surplus crop. At the very least, she made it clear that food was included in the pay. With that in mind, I bite into the apple greedily, finding the flavour rich and delicious.

"Good, aren't they? Nothing beats a nice juicy apple fresh off the tree!" Applejack proclaims, beaming as I continue to devour the apple in an attempt to sate my burning hunger. Eventually, however, we do have to get back to work. "Anyhow, let's get back to it. Those trees ain't gonna buck themselves."

I nod and rise to my feet, doing my best to choke back a pained groan from the lingering fatigue. I follow Applejack back to the cart, doing my best to finish the apple in my hand before returning to work.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask: you're new to Equestria, right? How are you liking the place?" Applejack asks me conversationally while we head to the next tree. I shake my head, unsurprised at the question. I knew she was going to ask me something like this sooner or later. I have nothing purely positive to say, but I can't exactly tell her my true feelings.

"Hard to say. I've never been anywhere outside of Ponyville," I reply. The two of us pull up to the next tree, and our conversation continues throughout our work.

"That's as good a place to start as any," Applejack responds amicably. "Ponyville's a nice place with some nice folks; it's hard to come up with anything to complain about. Don't you agree?"

"I… can't say I share your opinion." There was no way to get around that question without lying, so I have to tell the truth as best as I can without alienating her. I still need her for this job.

"Why's that?" Applejack isn't looking at me due to our efforts placing the baskets, though I can hear the curiosity in her voice.

"To be honest, every pony I've met has either been rather… eccentric." That's not exactly the right use of that word, but it's the nicest way I can express how frustrating these ponies have been in their attempts to be friendly. "In one case, a pony was actually rather abrasive."

"Abrasive? She didn't happen to brag a lot, did she?" Applejack comments wryly.

"She did, now that you mention it. Why, do you know her?" I answer readily, glad for the change in topic to someone other than myself.

"That's probably Rainbow Dash. She's a little rough around the edges, but her heart's in the right place. She's a good friend of mine." Applejack reveals with a knowing chuckle. I suppress the growing wave of unease that passes through me after hearing that. I wasn't exactly kind to Rainbow. In the worst case, I'll have to find a new job if she ends up telling Applejack about my harsh words. "I'm surprised you never mentioned Pinkie Pie. Haven't you met her yet?"

"You know, I keep hearing that name. Every pony seems to talk about her fondly, yet I don't believe I've ever seen her," I respond, interested enough to ask. "Though usually the word 'party' is involved whenever her name comes up."

"Sounds about right. That's what she's known for, apart from just being friendly to everypony in general," Applejack confirms with a grin. "Though I'm surprised you never met her. She's usually the first pony to know about newcomers."

"Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps she's so busy getting ready for the party tonight that she has little time for somebody new?" I suggest, lifting a filled basket up onto the cart. I then have to rest for a second, my breath coming heavily once more.

"Trust me, she always makes time for a new friend. You should drop by her house and say hello! You can't miss her; bright pink coat, frizzy mane, balloons for a cutie mark," Applejack describes for me. As I lift another basket up from the ground, I find that I recognize that description.

I can't keep from scowling somewhat after the memory returns to me of the pink pony who had knocked me over yesterday. That's the pony that everyone considers the friendliest in Ponyville? I'm not exactly impressed with what I experienced.

"I'll...keep that in mind," I concede, not wanting to continue that particular topic. Unfortunately, the conversation soon takes a turn for the worse when Applejack brings up the inevitable.

"Speaking of friends, what about you? You made any friends since coming to Ponyville?" Applejack questions me as we finish loading the back. I pause, sighing heavily. That's as personal as it gets. Politeness has done me well so far, but I'm beginning to realize that it only makes other ponies think I'm open to these sorts of questions.

"Not really," I admit to her. Together, the two of us move the cart to the next tree, making steady progress. "I haven't exactly been looking for any, either."

"That's a downright shame. You seem like a decent enough sort," Applejack responds with a frown. I release a breath of disbelief. Just as I thought, she's mistaken my politeness for friendliness. There's only one way to handle this now. "Tell you what, how about I introduce you to my friends after we're finished?"

"No thank you. Firstly, I am busy with a second job tonight and don't have time to kill. Secondly, I won't be in town for that long. I'm gathering enough money for travel expenses, and then I'm leaving Ponyville," I reveal to her as we position the baskets around the next tree.

"I suppose that makes sense. I don't see no reason why you can't have some fun while you're here, though," Applejack points out to me, the mare refusing to let me off easy.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not argue about it," I return, making sure to keep my voice level and edgeless. It's getting increasingly harder to remain diplomatic. I decide to finish the conversation in a way that would hammer my point home. "I appreciate your attempt, but you're my boss and I'm your temporary employee. Perhaps we could leave it that."

That one sentence makes it very clear to Applejack exactly where the two of us stand. She pauses just before bucking the tree and gives me a lingering gaze, her lips forming a disappointed frown.

"Okay. If that's what you want, I guess I can respect that," Applejack finally concedes, and she returns to her work. With a swift grunt, she bucks the tree hard, dislodging any apples in its branches into the waiting baskets below.

I walk towards the first basket, feeling relieved. I suppose at the end of the day, Applejack isn't the worst pony I've had to deal with in Ponyville. She's been reasonable, level headed, and hasn't tried to force her friendship on me as much as the others have.

If it stays like this, my work here will be much easier to deal with from now on… until it's time for me to leave Ponyville.

* * *

From then on, things are quiet between Applejack and I. The only conversation between us consists of her working with me to position the baskets correctly. It suits me just fine, and allows me to focus better on my work.

The rest of the workday passes agonizingly slowly, pushing me to the very brink of my stamina and endurance. If it weren't for the short breaks giving me time to rest, the occasional apple soothing my hunger, and the constant water supply keeping me hydrated, I'd have collapsed from exhaustion a long time ago.

When the sun begins its descent towards the horizon and the sky begins to darken, Applejack at last allows us to call it a day. It's difficult not to cry out in relief; currently it feels as though my body is made of lumps of heavy iron, with burning molten lead searing through my veins. Every slight movement causes me pain.

"Let's get the cart back to the barn," Applejack directs me once we've finished unloading the current haul into the storage cellar. "You did good today, Seth. How are you holding up?"

"About… as well… as you'd expect…" I grunt miserably, much to Applejack's amusement. I knew this was going to be hell, but it wasn't as though I had a better choice. I didn't have the time to leisurely search through the town for a better, easier job.

"We'll get some muscle on you yet," Applejack chuckles, tapping my aching leg briefly with a forehoof. "Er… provided you're still in town of course. Any estimate on when you're leaving? Hopefully not before the harvest ends, right?"

At that last question, Applejack turns her head to face me and puts on a hopeful wide smile. I assume she wants me to stay until then to make her workload easier.

"I'm not entirely sure," I answer honestly. I still have to determine the worth of an actual bit, calculate the total pay I earn per week, and then discover the cost of traveling further to the north. Once I know all of that, I'll know how much money I'll need to accomplish my goal. Once I have all I need, I'm leaving Ponyville, severing any ties I've made immediately without a second thought. "I can't make any promises. At the very least, I'll be around for a week or two."

"That should be plenty of time. Won't be long until the snows come, after all," Applejack assures me. She pauses a moment to open up the main barn, and then the two of us pass into the structure. "Let's just get the cart up against the wall, and that'll be it."

This is my first time seeing the inside of the barn, so I take a moment to glance around. There isn't much to see, however. The barn is mostly empty, with a wide open expanse of hay stretching over the majority of the floor. On the other end of the room, there's a ladder leading up to a small loft area, which is supported by multiple white pillars engraved with simple decorative designs.

The walls are lined with multiple layers of wooden shelves, each containing various farm tools and equipment, such as pitchforks, sickles, and shears. There are bales of hay stacked up in one corner, and on the other end of the room, there's an aisle of hay that's separated from the rest of the barn by a painted wooden partition.

Once the two of us manage to maneuver the cart against the wall as she wanted, Applejack steps back with an approving nod. "Right, that takes care of that," she affirms. With that, I rest my back against the wall, attempting to catch my breath. Applejack notes my exhaustion with amusement, but doesn't comment on it. "Anyhow, come on inside while I get your pay."

Even though I'm far from collected, the thought of payment spurs me into motion. I make sure to grab my rifle from where I left it in the cart and then fall in step beside Applejack, following her through a door in the far left corner of the barn.

I find myself stepping through a short hallway into a living area of rustic design, consisting of a rectangular room with oak wooden floors and soft beige walls, a circular orange rug covers the floor in the center of the room. On the walls hang multiple framed pictures of different sizes depicting a wide variety of different ponies. The windows are set into the far wall, decorated with teal drapes. Through them, I'm able to gaze out over the farm.

To my right after exiting the barn, I note a narrow staircase set into the back wall leading to a second floor. Additionally, there's an opening in the wall on the right leading into a dining hall adjoined to a sizable kitchen. From that direction, I hear the sound of cabinets opening and closing. The apple-laden scent of cooking food drifts in from the kitchen causing my mouth to water.

"Granny Smith, isn't dinner ready yet? I'm hungry!" Apple Bloom calls into the kitchen, the yellow filly bounding down the stairs. Her coat and mane are slightly damp, suggesting that she's recently washed.

"It'll be ready when it's ready, little Bloom! Have some patience!" An elderly female voice screeches in from the kitchen in time with the clattering of dishes. "If you really want it sooner, come in and set the table!"

"Okay, I'm coming!" Apple Bloom declares, and then she zips past me to the kitchen, greeting me briefly as she goes. "Hi, Seth!"

Applejack chuckles at the scene and moves towards the front door. She opens it briefly and pokes her head outside. "Big Mac! Put those ears of corn in the cellar and come on in for the night! It's getting dark and dinner's almost done!" she announced. Once the larger stallion had acknowledged her, she shut the door and walked over to the stairs. "I'm gonna grab your pay from upstairs. Be just a sec."

I sigh and recline against the wall, wanting more than anything to find someplace comfortable to rest. I do my best to keep from thinking about the fact that I'm going to be repeating this misery the next morning.

The front door soon opened to reveal Big MacIntosh, the stallion's fur matted with perspiration. It looks as though he's been working as hard as we have. Upon spotting me, he gives a short nod. "How was your first day?" he asks simply, closing the door behind him.

"Exhausting, to say the least," I answer. Big MacIntosh nods understandingly.

"Seems about right," is all he says before he heads for the stairs. That was a rather short conversation, but that suits me just fine. As the big stallion climbs the stairs, I can feel the vibrations of his heavy hooves plodding on the wood through the wall.

I hear the sound of running water above a few moments later, suggesting that Big MacIntosh was next in line for a wash. Not long after that, Applejack returns from upstairs, carrying a small sack in her mouth.

She drops the sack into my waiting hand, the currency inside jangling upon landing. "There you go! Six bits. You earned them," Applejack announces with a pleased smile. "You going to be back tomorrow morning?"

"Most likely. How early do you want me?" I reply, dreading the answer.

"Probably around eight o'clock, if you can manage that," Applejack supplies helpfully.

"I can do that." I nod, accepting that. Eight in the morning is pretty standard for a job. I'll be working longer than I did today, assuming we stop at the same time, which means more money (and more pain) for me. That aside, now that I've accepted my pay, I have no further reason to remain. "Now then, if you'll excuse me."

"Hold up just a moment. Dinner's just about done; you wanna come in and share a bite?" Applejack offers just as my hand is reaching for the door. "It's included as part of your pay if you want it."

I pause, thinking that over. She's right that she promised food as well as money, but I'm not too keen on the idea of dinner with her family. I've always preferred to eat alone… but that's hardly a justification for turning down her offer.

"No thank you. With how many apples you let me eat, I think you've more than made up for that obligation," I reason. It's a weak excuse at best… but I don't want to eat with them. In the best case, I'd end up excluding myself and letting them pretend I wasn't there, but in the worst case… they might start expecting my presence. I'm leaving Ponyville eventually. I'd prefer not to leave with strings attached.

"I suppose that's true. You did eat quite a few. You must have been hungry," Applejack admits with a snicker. She changes tack, giving me a friendly smile. "Then how about you come eat with us just because we have an empty seat?"

"No thank you," I repeat simply without a second thought, and then I turn my back and move for the door.

"Okay. See you tomorrow morning!" Applejack calls after me, not sounding perturbed in the least by my repeated refusals. Without anything left to stop me, I hoist open the door and step outside into the chilly air.

I shudder involuntarily once I leave the barn behind. It's growing rapidly darker, and the temperature is quickly dropping. The ground around my feet is still dry, but the air smells of rain, supporting Flitter's early prediction of a coming storm. I certainly hope six bits in addition to Vinyl's payment is enough to afford lodging for a night. If not… I'm going to be hard-pressed to survive the coming night.

I set myself back on the path that leads to town, resigning myself to the long walk back. In the meantime, perhaps I can learn something about this era's currency. I tuck my rifle beneath my arm and open the sack, fishing around for one of the bits. I feel soft metal brushing against my fingers briefly before I withdraw a bit.

There's just enough light to make out the details of the small round coin. The color of the coin is golden, seeming rich enough in luster to compare to real gold. Attempting to scratch the metal proves fruitless, suggesting that if there is gold involved in the coin's creation, it's likely as part of an alloy of some sort.

On one side of the coin is the engraved image of a fiery sun, with a strange inscription written in Equestrian just beneath it. On the other side is the image of a regal pony with a long flowing mane and a lengthy horn. Atop her head rests an ornate crown, complete with what looks to be a gemstone set into the front. Given the presence of the sun on the other side and the pony's crown, I can only draw the conclusion that I'm looking at the Solar Princess.

Despite the fact that it's pony currency, it's always interesting to see the currency of another country. It's ironic that I enjoy learning more about civilization through observation rather than through interaction with its citizens. Even that will pass, however. Once I leave to deal with Sombra, it won't matter much about the civilization I leave behind.

My mood dampened by that somber thought, I continue on my path to the town. I can see lights in the distance, alerting me to Ponyville's increasing proximity. Now that I can see the town, I turn my thoughts to my next order of business. I told Vinyl she could find me by the bridge in the town square, so once I reach the town proper, I make that my next destination.

With luck, after I help Vinyl set up her equipment, I'll be able to use the rest of the party to relax and wind down, provided I can find a quiet corner somewhere. I don't know much about the parties that Pinkie throws, but the last thing I want is a super loud and obnoxious party.

I make my way into the square, aiming for the bridge. The ponies are still reacting to my presence with bemusement and awe, though every time I walk through town, their reactions are less and less noticeable. Some of them even try to catch my eye in an attempt to talk, but I stubbornly refuse to glance their way or divert my path.

Once I reach the bridge, I sit down with a pained grunt on a nearby bench that faces the river. It takes all of my mental discipline not to pitifully sprawl out on the bench. This is the first time I've been able to get off my feet since I began work at Applejack's farm.

I sit there for several minutes until my breath returns to me. Before I know it, my phone is out in front of me. I realize what I've done and shake my head, lowering the device. I must have retrieved it out of habit; I always used to do something on my phone to kill time when waiting for something.

The phone is useless now, apart for what operates locally. According to the still ticking clock, it's almost seven. I also notice that the battery has dropped much lower than before. My mood further declines. As I thought, not even airplane mode combined with the low power setting will keep my phone running forever.

I move to turn off the phone entirely, but a moment of weakness causes me to pause and open up my picture folder instead. I didn't take pictures that often, but I still had a significant amount, as I never deleted the ones I did take. My pictures dated all the way back to when I first started college,. The most recent one was several months back, when our college held a formal dance to commemorate the opening of the new and improved student hall.

Tapping on that image enlarges it to reveal Amaryllis and myself standing by the entrance to the aforementioned student hall, where throngs of students were already filtering inside. Amaryllis was wearing a stunning black dress that accentuated her form nicely, as well as the silver necklace garnished with an emerald green stone that I'd given her a year or so before that. That's a whole different story, but it suffices to say that I never saw her without it after that.

Amaryllis was wearing the closest thing to a smile you'd ever see her wear. For the sake of the picture, her hand had been wrapped about my waist to bring me in closer, which had made me very visibly uncomfortable at the time. That was something you always saw the men doing to the women in these pictures, not the other way around. Yet, as per usual, Amaryllis had always shrugged it off and teased me, saying that it was because I was her "princess."

As for me, I was just wearing a run of the mill suit that you'd find at a store, though it was well maintained, as my mother had insisted on ironing it repeatedly until it was perfect. Despite how flustered I had been to be dragged there by Amaryllis, I was still happy to spend that time with her. In the end, that was all that mattered.

I shut my eyes tightly and press the hand that's still clutching the phone against my forehead, the emptiness in my chest turning into pain after reliving those memories. This piece of technology is all I have left of her and my family. The thought of my phone dying and cutting me off from those memories forever is almost too much to bear.

It feels as though a piece of me dies as well as I power off the phone for good. This is the only way to save the battery for a long period of time… but in the end, I suppose it's the same as losing it.

There's no sign of Vinyl yet. It seems I'll be waiting here for some time. I return the phone to my pocket and lay my head back on the bench, looking up at the darkening sky. The first thing I notice is the wave of dark clouds sweeping from the east, led by a towering thunderhead. Flitter was right on the money, I suppose. A storm like that will certainly be the death of me if I stay out in the opening.

I blink, noticing something odd about the thunderclouds. Small colored dots weave in and out of the cloud with a strange sense of purpose. I have no explanation for this… I've never seen anything like that in a thunderstorm. My confusion soon turns to complete shock as I realize what I'm looking at.

Each of the colored dots possesses two feathery wings, revealing them to be pegasi. I'm utterly confounded by that sight. Getting that close to a thundercloud could only result in electrocution and likely death. However, the pegasi don't seem to be in any danger at all. In fact, the opposite is true.

My jaw drops when I see the pegasi physically altering the structure of the thunderhead. It seems impossible, but the pegasi appear to be touching and molding the clouds themselves with their hooves and flight patterns. I even notice one pegasus actually pull a clump of cloud from elsewhere in the sky and apply it to the main anvil.

I get to my feet, trembling in the face of what I'm seeing. What they're doing now violates everything I've ever been taught about meteorology. Everybody knew that as water was heated, it rose and eventually condensed to form rain. So what in the nine circles of hell am I looking at?

The pegasi clearly look to be in control of the storm system, to the point where it even seems as though they're physically pushing the storm towards the town. My mind flashes back to my conversation with Flitter, where she mentioned that the weather team hadn't "made the storm" yet. Was she… speaking literally? Does the weather team literally create the weather?

"Oh hey, Seth!" I hear a familiar voice address me in the midst of my speechlessness. Lyra, the mare I met outside of the club last night, walks around the bench and smiles at me. Though, of course, I can't respond to her, as I'm too caught up in the fantastical sight in the skies above me. Lyra waves a hoof in front of me. "Hello? Are you there? Whatcha gawking at?"

"Tell me I'm not crazy," is the first thing I can think of to say. When Lyra tilts her head in confusion, I point up to the thunderhead. "What the hell are those pegasi doing up there by the storm?"

Lyra follows my finger until she sees what I'm talking about, but it doesn't make her look any less confused. "What do you mean? They're putting the storm together for tonight," she questions further, as though what I'm seeing is an everyday occurrence. She takes note of my expression. "Did you not know about this?"

"Know about what? That pegasi can apparently control the weather? How are you talking about that like it's normal?" I demand, turning away from the impossible spectacle to face Lyra, who is beginning to look amused by my reaction.

"It _is_ normal for us, though. Pegasi have always been in charge of the weather. It's why we have a weather team. Without them, we'd never have rain," Lyra answers with a shrug. She giggles at my slack jawed expression. "You should really see your face. Did humans not have a weather team?"

"We did, but we predicted the weather, we didn't cause it!" I snap back. So many questions rush through my mind that my head starts to hurt.

What happened to the weather that it needs pegasi to control it now? How do the pegasi determine where the weather should be, and how intense it should be? Does this also include differences in pressure and temperature? How widespread is this weather anomaly? Why is it necessary for a storm so large to be created if it's under pony control? Does this mean there's no longer severe weather such as hurricanes or tornadoes?

"This is… but that's… I have too many questions!" I groan, rubbing my now aching head. Lyra just bursts out laughing, entirely too amused at my distress. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself!"

"You're just getting so flustered over this!" Lyra chortles, not even bothering to stifle her laughter in the slightest. "If it's that big of a deal, just don't think about it."

" _Don't think about…!?_ " I sputter incredulously, but then I stop, realizing that I'm losing my composure. I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. "So let me get this straight: pegasi regularly control the weather?"

"That's right. I'm not sure how it all works, but pegasi can touch clouds as if they were solid. They're just vapor to the rest of us," Lyra answers, calming down as well. "How did humans handle the weather, if they didn't control it?"

"We didn't need to control it. Weather acted on its own; we either took countermeasures to avoid flooding or other damage… or in the case of severe weather, we got the hell out of its way," I reply, seeing no reason to withhold that information. Lyra is answering my questions for me, so I should answer hers in turn.

"Oh, interesting. Weather works like that in the Everfree… and I heard it's wild outside of Equestria too," Lyra reveals to me, creating yet more questions to which I don't have the answers. Weather works naturally outside of Equestria? So why are the laws of nature defunct in Equestria, as opposed to everywhere else? "By the way, did you ever get to talk with Vinyl Scratch last night?"

"What? Yes, I did," I answer, surprised at the sudden change in topic. I'm still not over the fact that weather no longer works as I remember it. Yet nevertheless, I suppose I should answer. "I am waiting here to meet her."

"Oh, are you now?" Lyra looks astonished by that. It doesn't take long before a mischievous smile forms on her face. "Guess you got farther than those other stallions after all. Way to go!"

I stifle a gag at the insinuation that Lyra just made. I give her a cold stare through narrowed eyes. "I would appreciate it if you didn't make jokes. I have neither the time nor the patience," I berate her sternly. "If you must know, I'm working for her now. My intention was never to 'chat her up' like those base stallions to which you refer."

"Wow, talk about a harsh shutdown," Lyra doesn't seem chastened at all, the mare snickering behind a hoof. "Calm down, I'm only teasing."

I grunt and turn my gaze away from her. I'm beginning to dislike this mare. The fact that she thinks she can tease me is troublesome enough. "Surely you have something better to do than hang around here making jokes." I try to make it clear to her that I've grown tired of her presence.

"I would say I don't, but now that you mention it, I should probably go get ready for the party tonight," Lyra replies ruefully, tapping her chin with a hoof. "Are you going to come?"

"It's part of my job with Vinyl now, so I have little choice," I admit reluctantly.

"Cool! I guess I'll see you then!" Lyra responds excitedly, completely disregarding the annoyance in my previous response. She turns around and starts to trot away, giving me a wave. "I hope you know how to dance!"

As Lyra's retreating form turns into another street, I sit back down and shake my head in dismay. "Did you even hear a word I said?" I emit to no one, disbelief coloring my voice. I don't know how I can make it any clearer to her that I don't want to be her friend. Now she apparently wants to dance with me. This can't possibly get any worse.

The wind picks up as the storm closes in, ruffling through my ragged hair and chilling my exposed skin. I shiver, already noticing the gradual drop in temperature as the evening dragged on.

The square eventually empties out, the merchant ponies packing up their wares and vacating the area. Some of them join up and leave together, talking and laughing amongst one another. More than once I hear the word "party" from their mouths. I suppose that just goes to prove how popular these parties are, considering half the town seems to enjoy them.

At last, I spot Vinyl arriving in the square from one of the other streets, already wearing the sunglasses that I've never seen her without. She looks uncertainly around the square for a few moments until she spots me standing up from the bench. She picks up the pace and trots towards me, a smile forming on her face.

"Hey, Seth! What's up?" Vinyl greets me amiably, coming to a stop just in front of me. I give her a terse nod in response. She glances at my skin with a frown. "You look pretty rough, dude. It got pretty cold last night, I heard. You alright?"

"I'm fine, more or less. It was cold, but it was nothing I couldn't recover from," I answer, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. "My current condition is likely from working on Applejack's farm."

"Oh, you're working for her too now?" Vinyl questions curiously.

"I need all the money I can get. Whether or not I have down time doesn't matter to me," I explain with a shrug. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Nah, you're cool. My gigs are in the evenings anyway, so this works out...though I don't envy your workload," Vinyl remarks with a wry smirk. "Hope you're not too exhausted to do a little extra lifting."

"Don't worry about it. I'll do what I'm being paid to do," I sigh, resigning myself to the job ahead. "So where do you keep your equipment in between shows?"

"My house! Got a soundproofed room I can practice in whenever I got a free night," Vinyl answers with a hoof pressed proudly against her chest. A gust of stronger wind sweeps through the square, cutting off whatever she was going to say next. Vinyl wrinkles her nose. "Alright, come on. We need to get my equipment over to Sugarcube Corner before that storm hits."

"Good idea." I join Vinyl as we walk back to the street from whence she arrived. "Do you have a tarp you can use to cover your equipment, just in case?"

"Yup, and I've used it before. But do you really want to push my tables through the streets in the pouring rain?" Vinyl points out with distaste.

"That's fair. At least you thought ahead." After that, we fall silent, our pace quickening as the biting wind blows harder.

Vinyl leads me through various streets until we come to a clearing on a grassy hill where a house resides somewhat separated from the others. The lawn looks untidy and untended to, except for a single hedge shaped into a musical eighth house itself is rather nondescript, possessing two stories, wood and plaster walls, and a wooden roof covered with thatch.

"Step inside real quick while I get the ramp," Vinyl directs me, the door opening telekinetically. I do as I'm told, walking through the door into a delightfully warm interior. Vinyl walks in behind me, though she first props the door open with a large smooth stone. "This is my pad! I'd tell you to take a look around and make yourself at home, but I really want to beat this storm."

"You and me both," I mutter, wanting more than anything to stay and keep warm in here. I take a quick look around, noticing a huge rectangular plastic cart containing Vinyl's turntables, speakers, and smaller sealed tubs. On both ends of the cart are slender metal bars. Once I've tucked the rifle beneath my arm, I walk around to the other end and clasp the bar tightly. "I found your equipment. You about ready to get moving?"

"Just about!" Vinyl calls back. As I watch, she produces a wooden ramp from beneath an end table set against the left wall. With her magic, she sents the ramp down just outside the front door, the oddly shaped bottom fitting perfectly against the steps. "Alright, wheel her out. Push from the back, and I'll handle this end."

I obediently plant my feet and exert my weight towards the cart. My side burns immediately, causing me to hiss sharply with pain. Thankfully, it isn't long before I feel Vinyl pulling from the other end with her magic. Together, we navigate the cart out through the front door and down the ramp.

Once the cart is solidly on level ground, Vinyl lifts up the ramp and sets inside the cart as well. Then, she steps back inside just long enough to produce the tarp we'd spoken of earlier and stretch it over the mouth of the cart. Once she ensures the door is shut tightly behind us, we start to push the cart down the street.

The two of us don't do much talking at first. I don't have much to say to her, and the wind is blowing so strongly that it'll be difficult to hear one another before long.

The wind, combined with my own attempts to spare my side any undue pain, makes it difficult to maintain a solid grip on my rifle. After the second time adjusting its position, I inadvertently draw Vinyl's attention. A quiet curse leaves my lips after the third time the rifle slips. Before I can grab it, a magenta aura engulfs the rifle, halting its downward momentum. I let out a small cry when the rifle jerks out of my grip.

"Hey, give that back!" I demand, anxiety striking me like a hammer blow. Vinyl raises a brow when she notices my sudden change in demeanor.

"Chill out, I'm not stealing it from you or anything," Vinyl assures me. "You just looked like you were having a hard time keeping ahold of it. You care if I put it in the cart?"

The unreasonable urge to decline her offer and take the rifle back forcefully comes over me, proving difficult to suppress. I screw my eyes shut and take a deep breath, telling myself that Vinyl's suggestion makes sense, and that the rifle will be right in front of me if I need it. I eventually give Vinyl a wordless nod.

Vinyl opens up the tarp, flinching at the effort necessary to keep it from blowing away. She swiftly inserts the rifle inside with the rest of her equipment and then closes the tarp back up. "There we go. You can grab it when we're unloading," Vinyl affirms, and then she resumes her telekinetic tugging on the front of the cart. "By the way, what is that thing? I've never seen you without it, so it must be important."

"It… used to be a weapon, a long time ago. Now it's just a piece of inert metal," I hesitantly answer.

Vinyl looks intrigued by that. "For real? That's one funky looking weapon. Bet my mom would love to get her hooves on that," she declares. "What was it, a club?"

"Might as well have been, for all the good it did," I say bitterly, glaring at the spot in the cart where the rifle lies. "Still, I won't be getting rid of it."

"I think I got an old guitar strap back at my house. Might make it easier on you if you're gonna lug it around all the time. Want it?" Vinyl offers after a short awkward silence.

"No thank you. You know how I feel about charity," I return, much to her surprise and annoyance.

"Charity? Oh come on, dude, this isn't charity. I'm just being nice," Vinyl contests, looking over her shoulder at me. "Don't tell me you're gonna be stubborn about this too."

"It's my right to be," I shoot back. "I don't intend to take anything from you or anyone, whether it's a room, guitar strap, or even a blanket."

"Why not? It's literally nothing major. I was planning on throwing the thing away anyway," Vinyl appears to be getting rather frustrated.

"If I want one, I'll buy one when I have the means." I don't give any ground, earning an annoyed huff from her.

"Why do you make it so hard to be nice to you?" Vinyl demands insistently.

"I'd really rather not get into that discussion right now," I deny her obstinately. "What I don't understand is why whether or not I accept your help is such a big deal to you."

"Because it doesn't make sense. I've never met anyone so adverse to simple kindness," Vinyl expresses vehemently. I shrug, having no better answer for her. "You know, after everything I've heard, I'm wondering if everything is just give and take to you."

That phrase gets my attention, a chill independent from the wind settling over me. I open my mouth to ask about what she's heard, but I decide better of it. I meant everything I said to Rainbow Dash… but I'm beginning to regret allowing myself to be pushed to that point. Judging from her influence, it's going to do nothing but come back to bite me.

When I don't reply, Vinyl sighs. "Alright, we'll do this your way," she begins, earning my suspicion. "You're working for me right now, so I'm your boss. As your boss, I'm _telling_ you to take that strap," she says resignedly.

"What?" Finally I respond, incredulity present in my voice. I want to protest… but I can't. If I reject her now, that's as good as firing myself. While I don't particularly care for her or this job, I can't afford to go without payment for tonight.

"If you want an explanation, it's so you'll be able to keep carrying the thing around without having to balance it and your duties for me," Vinyl continues. She gives me an apologetic look. "Sorry, but you clearly won't accept kindness any other way."

I'm silent for several moments, breathing deeply in order to suppress my rising ire. I have to respect her when she orders me like this, no matter how much I want to refuse.

"Fine," I emit at last, deprived of any other choice. Instead of gloating about it, Vinyl just heaves a disappointed sigh and turns her gaze back forward. We don't speak to one another for the remainder of the trip.

I'm not certain where we're going, but I make sure to take in my surroundings as I go; This way I'll be able to find my way to and from these places in the future. Unfortunately, rather than going through the square, Vinyl chooses to take a more direct route through the surrounding streets, making it more difficult for me to remember the route.

The streets are almost entirely devoid of any other ponies, save for a few scampering here and there as though they're in a hurry. This is odd, as I remember there being more ponies about in the streets on the previous night. I begin to wonder if perhaps this party is more of an attraction than I was led to believe.

After turning a corner, a particularly bizarre building comes into view. It's difficult to make out its details due to how dark it's become, but the front lights illuminate just enough to reveal it's features. It appears to be shaped like a typical gingerbread house, with a roof seemingly made of chocolate and lined with white icing. Two pillars striped like candy canes support a cherry topped overhang above the bright pink door, and a central tower-like structure rising from the center of the roof appears to be fashioned in the design of a cupcake or ice cream cone. To top this all off, a dimly lit sign depicting a heavily frosted cupcake hangs from a post protruding from the corner of the flamboyant building.

As I thought, the door is propped open, and ponies from the streets are funneling inside. When one of them catches sight of Vinyl, she squeals and calls out to the others. Not long after that, a familiar pink pony squeezes through the throng of ponies. Now I have a name for her: Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie produces a ramp similar to one we used at Vinyl's house and sets it over the front steps, and then she zips over to us with an impossible speed. "Scratchie! You're here just in time! It won't be long before the Cakes get here, and it would be just terrible if we weren't ready in time!" Pinkie addresses her, referring to her by a strange pet name.

"Don't worry about a thing, Pinks. I'll be set up in half the usual time today; I hired help," Vinyl responds with a grin, taking a moment to reciprocate a hug from the hyperactive pony. Then, Pinkie's eyes shift to me, widening with recognition. I brace myself mentally for the inevitable conversation. Vinyl hastily adds, "Careful, he can be… a little cranky."

"Oh, I know!" Pinkie responds, much to both Vinyl and my surprise. Pinkie approaches me and smiles widely. "Hello again! Thanks for helping out Scratchie here; setting up her equipment is a lot of work!"

"It's nothing I'm not equipped to handle," I grunt simply. As Vinyl and I push the cart to the ramp, Pinkie bounces alongside us. 'Bounces' is an apt description, as she quite literally brings all four of her hooves together and propels herself a short distance in the air, only to do it again as soon as she touches the ground.

"Are you ready for me in there?" Vinyl interjects before Pinkie can continue talking to me, to my relief.

"Yes, indeed-y! I threw the tables and chairs in the back, so the spot's all yours! Roll on up!" Pinkie responds happily. Her voice is exceedingly high pitched; I don't think I've ever heard somebody talk with a voice that high. "Better hurry, that big ol' storm's about to blow!"

"Good idea. Come on, Seth, let's get inside before the sky opens up on us," Vinyl agrees, the mare stepping up the ramp. With her help, I put my weight behind the cart and edge it steadily towards the door. Just as the cart rolls inside, an immense thunderclap shatters the silence and a thick curtain of rain sweeps through the streets. "Whew, that was close!"

I walk into the building, Pinkie bouncing along just behind me. The first thing I notice is the rich smell of candy and chocolate hanging in the air. It's as though I've stepped into a candy store… and a quick look around confirms that assumption.

The main room is roughly shaped like a T, where the flat portion in which I'm standing consists of mostly open space. The point is separated from the rest by two counters, each of which possessing glass fronts and containing sugary confections of all kinds. An old fashioned cash register rests atop one of the counters.

Behind the counters is a short hallway with two exits: an archway on the left that leads into a kitchen, and a staircase on the right leading to the upper floors. As for the main portion of the room, most of it seems to have been cleared away to make room for the incredible crowd of ponies within. On the right side of the room are several small round tables where ponies are sitting, and the far wall is lined by covered shelves containing a variety of packaged candies and paraphernalia.

In front of these shelves is a lengthy wooden table, atop of which are multiple platters of food. I can see everything from corn chips to punch to cookies and pastries. Just looking at it all makes my mouth water and my stomach growl.

On the left side of the room is a raised platform separated from the rest of the area by a small set of steps and a banister. The platform is completely devoid of ponies and Vinyl has her eyes fixed on the area, so that's likely where we're going to be setting up.

For the final touch, the area has been extravagantly decorated with brightly colored streamers, balloons, and a large banner stretched across the open expanse above the counters, upon which large indecipherable equestrian characters are written. To top it all off, a shimmering disco ball hangs from the ceiling, the mirrored surfaces shedding motes of white light on the floor.

Lastly, there are an excessive amount of ponies here. They're sitting on their haunches chatting to one another, sitting at the tables and sharing snacks together, or even flying through the air in the case of pegasi. Some of them I recognize from my walks through the streets. Others I recognize directly: Twilight Sparkle is in the back of the room, using her telekinesis to touch up any decorations that may have become askew. Applejack, Big MacIntosh, and even Apple Bloom are spread out amongst the crowd, socializing at their leisure.

Unfortunately, this makes it likely that they'll notice me and try to approach me. Even worse, if Rainbow Dash attends this party, the situation may grow sour very quickly; Applejack has stated that she is friends with her, and I suspect Vinyl associates with her as well.

"Alrighty, you know what to do! I've gotta get back to decorating this super duper incredible cake! You're all gonna love it!" Pinkie exclaims happily, and then she bounces away from us, somehow still able to maneuver through the crowd in that fashion. I shake my head at her hyperactivity. How she has the energy to bounce like that repeatedly is beyond me.

"Let's get started! The sooner we're done, the sooner we can indulge and socialize," Vinyl addresses me. I nod, and then we roll the cart up beside the makeshift stage. "Here's good. Now, I'll handle most of the set up like wiring and lights this time, but I need you to get all this equipment out of the cart. Then, I'll have you watch me set up, so you can learn for later."

Vinyl approaches the cart and points to the different items inside as she continues. "These tubs all gotta get stacked up on stage, except for the ones that say 'LED.' Those are my lights; we're gonna set those up around the dance floor, so set them down in the corner by the counter." She pauses for a moment, and then she turns her head towards the kitchen. "Speaking of which. Pinks! Can you clear the dance floor for me? I gotta set up!"

Pinkie's head pokes out of the kitchen. "Oki Doki Loki!" she chirps. She bounces out into the main area. "Hey everypony! Scratchie's gotta set up, so if you could please make some room?"

Her loud voice manages to rise above the chatter of the crowd of ponies in the center of the room and is heeded, though the ponies just mill about uselessly in confusion at first. Once Twilight steps in and starts to direct them into the hallway back by the kitchen, their movement is quicker and better organized. Before too long, Vinyl and I have plenty of space in which to work.

Vinyl, satisfied, goes back to pointing out where each individual piece of equipment goes. I follow along and memorize everything that she's pointed out to the best of my ability, but I note that some of her equipment differs in appearance only by their labels. Once she finishes her explanation, I point that out to her.

"I can't read your language, Vinyl," I reveal to her sheepishly. Vinyl stares at me briefly, her mouth forming into an "o" shape.

"Right, you're new to Equestria. Alright, let me give you a quick crash course," Vinyl decides. She points her hoof at one of the labels. "Okay, this one says LED. You'll need to memorize what it looks like. As for these speakers, you can tell the brand and type by looking at these plaques. This one is from Pony Audio… you can tell by looking at that shape there. That means pony."

"Okay, easy enough. What's this one?" I point to one of the larger speakers.

"That's a Sennhoofer," Vinyl answers. Her horn glows, and the speakers slowly starts to rise. "Let's get these out first. They're the biggest and attach directly to my tables."

I nod, and grasp the other end. For the next half hour, the two of us work together to set up her ensemble. Her turn tables are set up directly in the center of the makeshift stage, with the Sennhoofer speakers on either side of them. The Pony Audio speakers are set up all around the room to allow the sound to reach the ponies from all directions.

As for the LEDs, they consist of multicolored spotlights wired with small bulbs arranged in a variety of fancy designs. These spotlights are attached to a rack and suspended in the air on a thick metal stand. Vinyl has to help me set these up around the room, the spotlights angling towards the center of the room.

Once all of that's done, Vinyl tasks me with threading the wires throughout the room, connecting the LEDs and the speakers to her turntables, which is assumedly also the conduit through which she channels her mana. While I'm busy with that, Vinyl adjusts her settings and periodically runs sound tests to make sure the speakers and effects are working correctly.

Once we're finished, Vinyl approaches me with a smile. "Alright, we're all done. That was much faster than it usually takes me. Thanks for the help," she tells me. "I'll be sure to pay you at the end of the night."

"Okay. What should I do in the meantime?" I ask, dusting off my hands against my pants.

"Whatever you want! Hang out, socialize, and enjoy the party!" Vinyl says with a shrug. She eyes me closely. "You really seem like you could use the time to blow off steam."

"...Right." I turn my back and scoff under my breath. I confirmed that I have to stay until she's finished, at least. I grab my rifle from the cart. "I'll be back later then."

Now that Vinyl's finished setting up, the ponies in the hall trickle back out into the center of the room, leaving the back area empty. Noticing that, I make my way through the crowd in an attempt to claim that area for me own.

Before I can make it that far, Pinkie emerges from the kitchen balancing a gigantic three-tiered cake atop her nose. My eyes goggle at the seemingly impossible sight. I move out of her way, noticing with further incredulity how she's still bouncing to the same height. The cake platter lands squarely on her nose after each bounce, never once threatening to fall to the floor.

"That… seems physically impossible," I mutter to myself once she's passed me by, and then I continue on my course until I reach the end of the hall near the stairs. There's no chairs or benches, so I have little choice but to sit down on the floor with my back against the wall.

I have no time to rest. As soon as I try to relax, Pinkie bounces back around the corner. Instead of returning to the kitchen, Pinkie's eyes fixate on me and she zips towards me swiftly. She comes to a stop with her muzzle practically touching my nose, causing me to yelp and topple over.

"Hi!" Pinkie greets me brightly, bouncing excitedly in place. I groan and get to my feet, glaring at the pony before me. "I know we got off on the wrong hoof, so I'd love to try again from the beginning this time!"

"If you must," I grunt in annoyance. I don't bother trying to follow her movements with my eyes, choosing instead to stare at the point just below where her incessant bouncing brings her to eye level.

"You're new in town, and I always like to greet newcomers to Ponyville! I also think you're new to the world, because nopony's seen a human in a super duper long time!" Pinkie shoots off words a mile a minute, making me work hard to fully comprehend everything she's saying. I raise a brow, noticing how she called me a human. She didn't know what I was during our first meeting. Rainbow Dash must have spoken with her already… but if that's the case, then why is she talking to me? "So hi again! My name is Pinkie Pie, and I'm going to be your new bestest friend!"

With that, Pinkie starts to bounce in circles around me, making it even harder to maintain eye contact with her. I rub my forehead, a headache starting to form from a combination from her constant movement and her high-pitched voice. More importantly, I'm concerned about what she just said.

"I'm not interested," I deny her flatly. I'll shoot her down right at the start. If she's considered the friendliest pony in Ponyville, then I want nothing to do with her. I have little time for such distractions. Shockingly, my cold words do nothing to dampen her spirits.

"I know, you don't have to tell me. I heard all about it from Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie responds, confirming my earlier conclusion. "I heard how you don't want friends because you're leaving and how you're supposedly a big meanie pants, but this all makes me want to make you smile even more!"

"I…" I stutter, unsure of how to respond to her complete refusal to acknowledge or respect any of what I said to Rainbow Dash. I shake my head, finding it difficult to make any sense of her words. "Why would that even matter to you? You know I'm leaving and not coming back, so why bother?"

Pinkie doesn't stop bouncing, even as she lifts up a hoof to scratch at her chin. As she thinks, Twilight emerges from the main room, her head tilting with interest when she notices Pinkie and I talking.

"It's all about the memories, silly! Do you regret making friends with the humans that live where you came from?" Pinkie asks innocently, looking me straight in the eye as she asks that. I open my mouth, but no words come out. I… can't lie to myself. If I could do it all over… I'd still become friends with Amaryllis. For this pink pony to say something like that to me… like she understands… bitterness and anger rise up from within me.

"You…" I force out through gritted teeth, my hands balling into fists. I then realize what I'm doing and bite back my scathing words, realizing where I am and the possible consequences of flying off the handle here could be. "You didn't answer my question. Why do you care?"

"That's easy! It's because everypony knows how lonely and frightening it can be to arrive in a new place without any friends to help them!" Pinkie answers brightly, heedless of the effect her previous question had on me. "So I'm going to be the first to say _welcome welcome-_ "

Pinkie actually starts to sing in a level, focused voice, but before she can continue with her song, Twilight cuts in between us, looking extremely nervous. "Hey… Pinkie...! Maybe you shouldn't crowd Seth just yet… he's a little… uh…" Twilight starts to say, but then she becomes conscious of my pointed stare, causing her to laugh nervously and sweat. "Pinkie, I could have sworn I saw somepony bringing in a dessert that I've never seen before."

Pinkie stops bouncing and gasps melodramatically. "A new dessert!? _I have to taste it!_ " The hyperactive mare zips back into the main room in search of this dessert-bearing pony that may or may not actually exist.

I let out the breath I'd been holding. I find Twilight to be much more tolerable company than Pinkie. How she's friends with all of these ponies is beyond me. I turn to Twilight. "Thanks for that. I've only met her twice, and I can already tell she's a menace," I say to her gratefully.

Twilight frowns at that. "She's not that bad, once you're used to her. She's a dear friend of mine," she reveals to me. I give her an incredulous stare, and then I sigh. "But don't thank me yet. It's impossible to get away from Pinkie if she really wants to talk to you."

"If that's true, she'll learn pretty quickly that this 'friendship' that she's trying to force on me is as unwelcome as it is unnecessary," I growl. I gaze at Twilight, whose frown has deepened. "You're the only one who knows why I'm here. You can understand why I've little patience for distractions."

"Maybe so, but it doesn't hurt to be friendly," Twilight admonishes me lightly. I recognize that for what it is and scowl.

"I have my reasons. Do me a favor and please stop trying to impose your idea of how I should act upon me," I request icily. Despite the level tone in which I delivered those words, Twilight winces at the sting in that request.

"I'm sorry. I just don't understand what's going on in your head," Twilight admits softly. A silence falls between us after that. Twilight shuffles her hooves nervously, looking as though she's still wanting to say something.

"What's this party for? I never asked." I decide changing the subject is the best course of action.

"Oh, it's for Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the owners of this store. They won an award for their outstanding culinary capabilities, and were in Canterlot for the past few days to showcase some of their best dishes," Twilight answers, pleased to talk about something else as well. She brightens up and beckons for me to follow her. "Come here, I'll show you what I mean."

I hesitate briefly, but then decide I have little else to do anyway. As exhausted as I am, the sweet smell of the store is only making me hungrier. I follow the librarian out into the main room until she leads me over to the table at the far end of the room where the food is located.

"These are all made by Pinkie, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake taught her nearly everything she knows." Twilight indicates the spread of confections with a sweep of her hoof. "Go ahead, try one!"

At first I'm unwilling, but then I notice other ponies taking from the table casually, even though the party hasn't technically begun. I suppose taking one wouldn't hurt. After all, this food is for the guests, and now that I've finished my work, I technically count as one as well.

I tentatively reach out a hand and retrieve a cupcake with pink frosting from one of the platters. After tenderly unwrapping the base of the cupcake, I take a hesitant bite.

My eyes widen as an explosion of sugary berry flavor occurs inside of my mouth. The icing is thick, with the consistency of buttercream, and the base is moist and firm. I've only ever tasted cupcakes bought from the grocery store, and they were nothing compared to this. There really is a difference between homemade and store-bought pastries.

"This is… really good," I admit reluctantly after swallowing the first bite.

Twilight beams at my glowing appraisal. "You should taste something the Cakes make themselves! You see why they won an award?"

"I suppose I do. I can recognize talent when I see it," I agree, taking another bite. If I have free reign of these treats while I'm at this party, perhaps it won't be as miserable as I was expecting. "By the way, how long do these parties usually last?"

"There's no specific timetable, if that's what you're asking. It usually lasts until the last pony leaves," Twilight answers with a smile. "One good rule of hoof is that when attending a Pinkie Party, make sure your schedule for the next morning is clear!"

"And if your schedule isn't clear?" I ask pointedly. Twilight blinks, and then she appears to understand what I'm asking.

"Then you should leave before it gets to be too late. Though in your case, I saw you working with Vinyl, so you're here until she's done I assume," Twilight advises me. When I nod, she gives a sheepish grin. "I don't envy you. Make sure to grab some coffee in the morning."

"Yeah, that would be great if I…" just as I'm about to make a sarcastic comment, the front door to the building slams open. "Oh no…"

A thoroughly drenched Rainbow Dash zips in through the door, practically crashing into the wooden floor. She somehow manages to right herself so that she lands on all four hooves. Her mane flops over her eyes as she grins, reveling in the attention her noisy arrival gained her.

"Whoo! Check out this masterpiece I got running outside!" she declares in that scratchy voice of hers, pointing outside into the torrential downpour with a hoof. The pride in her accomplishment is evident in her words. Her words lead me to recall her position as head of the weather team… the team of pegasi that apparently physically create the weather.

"Yeah, thanks for making us rush to get here before your little 'masterpiece' soaked us all!" Vinyl responds from the stage. Her words earn laughter from the surrounding ponies and a grin from Rainbow.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're so slow!" Rainbow shoots back with a laugh that Vinyl soon mirrors.

"Good to see you too, Dash!" Vinyl sarcastically returns, to the amusement of all listening. My spirits drop at the show of friendship between the two.

Rainbow shakes her body like a dog, her mane flying in all directions as water droplets fly out in all directions. Pinkie bounds up to her with a towel, which Rainbow gratefully accepts.

"So glad you could make it, Dashie! With you here, that's just about everypony!" Pinkie greets her with a wide smile.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie. Sorry I'm late. I hope you didn't start the party without me," Rainbow expresses with a smirk.

"Nope! You're just in time! The Cakes could be here any minute!" Pinkie answers, and then the two of them make their way back into the crowd, talking to one another animatedly.

"We should probably start getting ready. No doubt Pinkie wants to surprise them," Twilight advises me. She blinks, noticing the scowl on my face. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," I assure her. Twilight doesn't look convinced, but I bite into my cupcake nonetheless.

Between my inability to leave the party, Pinkie, and now Rainbow Dash, all the pieces seem to have fallen in place for a catastrophe. Even worse, my very life depends on whether not I get paid at the end of the night.

This party cannot end soon enough.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Wow, it took me a pretty long time on this one, as the scenes seemed to drag on, and I had some crazy real life crap get in the way that I'm sure you don't want to hear about. Either way, this chapter is done, leaving only chapter 7 for me to rewrite before arc 1 is finished! Though it's come to my attention that chapter 1 needs some adjustments to make it more in line with the Seth established in chapters 2-6. It probably doesn't need a full rewrite, but it definitely needs to lose the cursing and unnecessary edge.

I really like the way this one turned out. In the original first arc, most of these ponies just got hurt and ignored what Seth was saying and doing to them. But as this chapter went on, the ponies started pressing at his boundaries a lot more than before.

 **Now then, here are the notable changes for this chapter.**

-The first thing I did was expand the dialogue between Applejack and Seth to make it seem more like a real conversation rather than Seth just saying "Wah, I don't want friends, fuck you."

-Expanded the farm scene in general. This required researching apples and apple storing techniques so I could figure out how and where apples and other crops were stored to last through the winter.

-One of the biggest changes I made was removing the flashback scene with Seth and Adam. When I read back through it, I realized that it really didn't add anything to the already established relationship between them in the previous chapter. For example, you already knew that they watched Soul Eater together, and you knew that they bonded over anime. No need to write in a cringe-worthy flashback that only serves to show how much the author was obsessed with the show at the time. I still like Soul Eater, but it's a huge mistake to allow one's love for a show to color a story that really has nothing to do with said show. My editors didn't agree with removing it, as they felt it didn't take anything away from the story as well. Ultimately, I made the final decision as I personally didn't enjoy reading through it. I'm curious to hear what you think about its exclusion.

-One thing I had to deal with was how the dinner scene was handled. Seth was going to turn it down, but this time, I stated that food was included in his pay to compensate for the low amount of bits he was receiving. Therefore, I had Seth's reason for turning it down to be his own insecurity, drawing upon how uncomfortable he would feel sitting at the table.

-Changed it so Seth met Vinyl at the square and not the park.

-When dealing with the phone, I expanded a bit upon his memories, showing Amaryllis's more protective and dominating side compared to Seth's more emotional, feminine nature. I wanted to portray their relation as being odd and unusual, where the girl was the strong one who served as Seth's emotional support.

-I added a separate scene with Lyra to expand their relationship as well as touch upon the whole "ponies control weather" deal. This way it would be more than just "what the shit, they're moving clouds...oh well, I'll ask Twilight later." At the same time, it would allow me to build towards Lyra's attraction towards Seth (how much fun he is to tease), as well as Seth's dislike of her and the idea of relationships with a pony in the first place (as shown by his disgust towards her joke about Vinyl.)

-I cut out the scene with Golden Harvest/Carrot Top, as it really didn't make much sense or add anything to the narrative. It also felt odd, as it had him totally acting out of character to get a negligible discount.

-I expanded the scene with Vinyl to show her stubborn side once more, in that she never accepts it when Seth refuses to allow her to be nice at all. She was pushed to the point where she had to pull the "boss card" (and she was not happy about having to do so), as opposed to the original's "just take it, bitch." This then led to one of the lines I mentioned before "everything is just give and take to you." This hinted that Vinyl heard something from Dash, and she was trying to understand Seth for herself.

-Seth's interaction with Pinkie. Which was basically nothing in the original. Seth had this original "Screw you Pinkie because you're a pink horse and you sound like a chipmunk." That eventually led into a blow-up that made practically no sense apart from him being a colossal dick for no real reason. This time, I had Seth's trepidation for Pinkie stem from his original meeting with her (that he didn't even hold against her in this chapter) as well as her reputation for being the friendliest, which is something he's been trying to avoid this whole time. Later, Pinkie cut right through his cynical shell right to his heart with that one comment "do you regret making friends with the humans where you came from?" Pinkie, just by being Pinkie, got through to Seth to the point where he had no defenses left. Then, as would be expected of one whose beliefs were just directly challenged, he grew angry at her. I'm very proud of this, as I feel it made Pinkie much more than just the "look at me, I'm pink and friendly, listen to me sing!" that she was in the original.

-I removed Flitter's interaction in this chapter. As Chapter 7 needs a huge rewrite due to the fact that 2/3rds of it is dancing, I'm shifting that scene into the next one, as I'll have to refill the void left by the dancing by actual character interaction. Go figure.

-Replaced Applejack's sudden "lol yoink Pinkie" to keep her from singing with Twilight instead. This let me lead into a deeper discussion between the two of them that eventually led to "I don't understand what's going on in your head." Even Twilight is starting to be pushed by Seth's prickliness, despite her earlier passiveness. Yet she's still reluctant, as the harder she pushes, the more Seth snaps (which is exactly what I intended for Seth's character.)

-Lastly, I replaced the ending so that it had a different tone apart from Seth's "Wah, I hate parties, this'll suck." Now he's worried that his snapping at Dash is going to explode in his face, and for good reason, as Dash has told quite a few about it: like Pinkie and possibly Vinyl.

* * *

Okay, that's all I have to say about this one. Just one more chapter to go, and then I can knock Wilting Flower out of the way. To be honest, I'm tired of Wilting Flower hanging over my head when I'm so passionate about rewriting this story. Though let me assure you that this doesn't mean I'll half-ass Wilting Flower. If I do something, I do it to the best of my ability. If I can't do that, I won't do it at all.

In the meantime, do me a huge favor and read through the rewrite of chapter 6 and let me know what you all think of the changes! Anything you can give me would make me happy, as it lets me know that people are still following me and reading the stuff I do. I'm not just writing for me, after all. I want to make others indulge in the alternate reality as well.

I'm also tempted to make a Discord channel to better communicate with my readers...but I'm not sure, as I feel like that would discourage people from leaving comments, because they could just talk to me directly. I don't know, what do you think?


	7. The Longest Night

I've lost count of how many ponies have made their way inside the building to partake in the party. It's getting harder and harder to find a place to be in the midst of the preparations. As time drags on, everyone gets more frantic and enlivened.

It soon becomes clear that this is in fact a surprise party. While that in and of itself isn't all that unusual, the surprise involves hiding in the complete darkness and actually yelling the word "surprise" at them. It's similar to something one would expect from a birthday party for a small child. Yet, nobody seems perturbed or embarrassed by this, despite the fact that everyone here appears to be more or less in their adulthood.

Once the preparations are complete, Pinkie dashes towards the light switch and plunges the shop into darkness with a flick of her tail. "Alright, everypony! The Cakes will be here any second! Nopony make even the teensiest sound!" Pinkie directs, her voice rising above the thick crowd of ponies. The excitement is palpable in her trembling voice.

The chattering rapidly dies down, each pony making their way to a location hidden away from the doors and windows. After spotting Rainbow Dash entering the shop, I returned to the back hallway, so I don't feel the need to hide any further than I already have.

I have no interest in joining in the surprise myself, but I also won't ruin the surprise by standing near the windows. It's completely dark outside now, but every so often an errant flash of lightning will briefly shine through the windows, painting the floor with their bright white silhouette as well as illuminating anyone foolish enough to stand nearby.

The shop is now dead quiet, the silence broken only by the wind and rain howling and buffeting the walls of the building. I can also hear the odd giggle coming from one of the many mares in the room in anticipation of the coming surprise.

Thunder booms in the blackened skies above. The resulting lightning shone through the windows, casting the shadows of two ponies galloping outside, their hooves splashing in the rapidly forming puddles. They quickly make a beeline for the front door of the shop, eager to get out of the torrential rain.

The two of them rush inside, slamming the door shut behind them. They're breathing heavily as a result of their frantic dash through the streets."Oh thank Celestia," a mature and tempered female's voice says breathlessly. "I wish I'd have paid attention to Ponyville's weather schedule before deciding to come back today."

"I'm just glad we're home safe. The pegasi really outdid themselves this time," a timid sounding tenor voice responds. The mare hums in agreement. "It's too dark in here. Let me get the lights real quick, and then we should get ready for a…"

"Surprise!" The lights suddenly flicker on, revealing the large multitude of ponies in the room who had gathered for this very purpose. There are enough ponies to surround the two newcomers, who were now showing various degrees of shock.

The stallion is a lanky yellow coated normal pony lacking wings or a horn. His mane is a scruffy orange and runs up the back of his neck in a thin line before settling atop his sharply angled snout. A set of three frosted carrot cakes arranged in a triangle is depicted on his flank, no doubt representing his skill in baking.

The other newcomer is a plump turquoise mare also without wings or a horn. Her mane is colored two shades of magenta and swirls up on her head almost like the frosting atop a pastry. Her cutie mark is similar to the stallion's, except hers depicts three cupcakes instead of carrot cakes. I quickly make the connection between their appearances and the names I was given.

Mr. Cake sits down on his haunches, and Mrs. Cake takes a few steps back, the both of them taken off guard by the chorus of cheers from the horde of ponies in the room. Eventually, their eyes trace up to the banner at the back of the room. Whatever the banner says, it's enough to cause smiles to form on the couple's faces.

"Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie zips through the crowd and runs over to the two of them. Once she reaches them, she hugs the two shellshocked ponies tightly around their necks, squealing happily. "We just got so super excited at your awesome cooking reward that we just had to throw you a party to celebrate it! Were you surprised? Were you?"

"Well, I'd say so. I didn't expect you to go to all this effort in this weather," Mrs. Cake admits, the older mare returning Pinkie's hug. "You really didn't have to…"

"Of course I did, silly! You don't win awards every day, after all! If this isn't party worthy, than nothing is!" Pinkie insists, the mare starting to bounce in place.

"I guess we can afford to let off a little steam," Mr. Cake decides, looking to his wife for confirmation. "Would be nice to stretch out my legs after being cooped up in that train for hours. What do you think, dear?"

"I do agree. It would be rude not to enjoy ourselves, given Pinkie went to so much effort all of us," Mrs. Cake agrees.

"Yes! You heard that everypony!" Pinkie squeals, her smile growing even wider. "Scratchie, that's your cue!"

"Oh wow, even Vinyl Scratch is here?" Mrs. Cake remarks with awe.

"You got it, Pinks! Let's hit it, everypony!" Vinyl slaps a record down on her turntables and flips a series of switches. A smooth electronic beat surges out from the speakers around the room, causing the air to thrumm with the pounding bass. The LED's switch on as the main lights dim, covering the dance floor with swirling color.

The room erupts with cheers, and the party fully gets underway as the ponies start to dance, socialize, and approach the Cakes to offer their individual congratulations. As for me, I haven't moved from the back hallway. Despite the fact that I'm sitting down with my arms resting on my knees, it's impossible to relax. The beat of the song seems to course through my body in time with my very heartbeat. The silver lining to this is that the music isn't deafeningly loud; I can still hear myself if I choose to talk.

I only get a few minutes of peace. Before I realize what's happening, my vision is filled with a set of shining golden eyes. I yelp as a pair of mint green hooves latch onto my hands and tug me forward.

"Seth! I was looking for you!" Lyra greets me happily. I glare at her after regaining my balance. Her lack of care for my physical state caused the wounds on my arms and side to ache. "What are you doing all the way back here? Come out and dance with me!"

"You were serious about that?" I groan, recalling the last thing she said to me in the square.

"Hay yeah I was! I'm in the mood to party, and you're one of the only stallions here!" Lyra returns, grinning broadly. She then pauses, looking a little awkward. "Wait, you are a stallion, right?"

"Of course I am. You can't tell?" I return, feeling just as awkward about the sudden confusion.

"I mean, I guessed you were. Your voice sounds pretty stallion-ish, but you're mane is all long and you're awfully pretty for a stallion," Lyra answers. I sputter at her explanation, completely taken off guard. _Pretty?_ "Though the most confusing thing is that you've got teats like a mare."

I immediately recall that I'm not wearing a shirt, and I haven't been for quite some time. The realization then strikes me as my own minor knowledge of horses returns to me. "Right… stallions don't have those," I recall. Sure enough, Lyra nods. "Rest assured, I am male. To answer your other question, no, I'm not going to dance with you."

"Aw, why not? You're like the best looking stallion here," Lyra whines. "I mean I can dance with Bon Bon, but I always do that."

"I don't dance," I tell her simply.

"Oh, don't worry about that, there's no right way to dance. You just move your body to the beat and have fun!" Lyra appears to misunderstand my meaning. She grabs my hand and attempts to drag me out of the hallway, but I steadfastly resist her. I rip my hand away from her hoof.

"You don't get it. I didn't mean that I don't know how to dance. I meant that I _don't_ dance. Is that clear to you now?" I correct her coldly, retreating further back into the hallway.

"Aw, you don't have to be shy. I guarantee you that there'll always be somepony out there dancing worse than you. You should see Twilight dance. That's a hoot! Come on, please?" Lyra tries again, putting on her most winning smile. I don't reply, instead sitting back down against the wall. Lyra gets the picture, the mare pouting in defeat. "Oh fine. But I'm not giving up you hear? I'll make you dance with me eventually!"

Lyra thankfully leaves me be now, the mare moving back into the main room. "I'll go dance with Bon Bon," she says. "Oi, Bon Bon! Bonnie! Where are you?"

I let out a sigh of relief once she's gone. That mare is more trouble than she's worth. Given the teasing, the compliments, and now the fervent attempts to dance with me, I'm beginning to think she's flirting with me. I scowl darkly, finding that thought to be even more distasteful than Pinkie's friendliness. I'm an entirely different species. Does Lyra have no shame?

Putting that out of my mind, I go back to trying to relax while the party continues. Unfortunately, my stomach soon growls for food once more. I sigh and get to my feet. I've only consumed apples and a single cupcake today. While the apples seemed filling at the time, that was mostly due to water saturation rather than actual substance. As long as the party is offering food, it would be smart of me to benefit from it.

I wince, the music assaulting me from all sides as I step out into the main room. Looking around, the ponies are clearly having a good time. The dance floor is packed with dancing ponies, and the others in the far side of the room near the food are laughing and discussing various topics amongst one another. Additionally, there are ponies playing strange childish games, one of which I recognize as a variant of "pin the tail on the donkey," only the donkey has been replaced with a pony instead.

No matter how I feel about it, Pinkie's methods to throwing a good party appear to be solid. I can't say it's nearly as agonizing to be around as a college party either; those usually involved copious amounts of alcohol, obnoxious music, and non-stop drunken flirting.

Upon reaching the table, I take my time and partake of the sugary treats there, sampling each one. Just like the cupcake, they're of impeccable quality. The chocolate cookies are soft with firm, moist centers; the brownies are firm and sweet, seeming to melt in my mouth with every bite. The cupcakes, as I discovered before, are just as good as ever.

"Seth!?" A familiar voice sounds from beside me, her voice laden with surprise. I finish the rest of the cookie in my hand and turn to see Flitter, the mare frozen upon seeing me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm working for Vinyl, if you must know," I answer her, reaching for a brownie this time. At this rate, I'll have eaten my fill long before it's time for me to leave. "You don't look very happy to see me."

"That's not it… I'm just surprised, is all. I didn't think I'd find you at one of Pinkie's parties," Flitter admits. I note how she isn't looking me in the eye. She's not being entirely truthful with me. It's not hard to determine why that is the case. "Um… I…"

"If you have something to say, just say it," I grunt impatiently. Flitter freezes, and then she appears to steel herself, the mare looking up at me at last.

"Oh, okay. I...suppose I'm still a little angry at you for running away from me earlier today," Flitter confesses to me.

"That much was obvious. However, you don't have any right to be," I return sharply, causing her to flinch.

"What? Why not? I was just trying to help…" Flitter protests. I notice with some dismay that Twilight has found her way back to me, just in time for her to listen in on the conversation.

"First of all, I believe I made it clear that I didn't need nor desire your help. Yet you stubbornly refused to listen, and instead attempted to force your 'kindness' upon me," I begin, keeping my tone level. "Then, you had the gall to go to your fellow weather ponies and complain about it, even sending your boss to harass me. If anything, I should be angry with you."

"Hey, what's going on here?" Twilight tries to get involved now that Flitter is starting to look rather distressed.

"But… I never complained about you! I was just worried, and when Rainbow Dash asked me what was wrong, I told her about how you stayed out in the c…" Flitter tries to correct me.

Realizing what Flitter is about to say while Twilight is standing right there, I cut her off hastily. "Nevertheless, she came on your behalf to harass me. As you can imagine, I'm less than thrilled with the both of you."

"Why? All we've done is try to befriend and help you!" Flitter snaps, her frustration finally getting the better of her. "It's not our fault that you never let anyone be nice to you!"

"Hey! That's enough… please, stop this!" Twilight finally forces herself between us, her face set with determination. Flitter sniffs, and to my surprise, she looks to be on the verge of tears. Twilight, noticing this, gives Flitter a gentle hug. "It's okay, Flitter. Why don't you go find your sister? Leave this to me."

"Okay…" Flitter sniffs, and then she retreats from the table, leaving just Twilight with me. Unlike before, this time Twilight looks much less likely to back down. I huff, my headache returning. This party is turning out just as I expected.

"What was that all about? Didn't you see you had that poor mare about to cry?" Twilight confronts me, orienting herself until she's facing me directly.

"That's hardly my problem. It's getting increasingly difficult to get you ponies to stop smothering me with your attempts to be friendly," I reply, crossing my arms.

"I don't understand why you're so opposed to the concept," Twilight expresses with an exasperated shake of her head. "Whatever you think we're trying to do to you, I assure you it isn't like that. I think you should give us all a chance; we might surprise you."

"I highly doubt it. Either way, I'm not planning on sticking around long enough to find out," I respond dismissively. "Once I have enough money, I'm leaving Ponyville for good."

Twilight pauses at that, realization striking her. "You're planning to go after King Sombra?" she asks softly. When I nod, she sighs sadly. "I guess I can understand that, but it doesn't make me happier."

The two of us fall into silence after that, neither of us having anything left to say to the other. I shake my head, regretting that I came over to eat in the first place. At the very least, I'll be full enough to sleep comfortably tonight, provided I can find someplace to sleep safely.

The momentary peace doesn't last long. I notice the throng of ponies part as Rainbow Dash leaves the dance floor. The mare chuckles at some unheard joke as she flips her mane back. Even though I immediately try to leave, Rainbow inevitably spots me. Her grin immediately drops, to be replaced with scorn.

"What the hay are _you_ doing here!?" Rainbow demands as she storms towards me. She notices the wide-eyed Twilight standing beside me, causing her scowl to increase. "Let me guess, are you saying something completely rude and uncalled for to Twilight too?"

I press a hand to my head and take a deep breath. Now that she's seen me, I think it's safe to say that this party can't get any worse. If I want to keep my job, I need to keep from yelling at her.

"I'm just getting a bite to eat while I wait. Twilight's presence here is coincidental," I try to explain.

"I didn't mean here at the table, smart guy. I meant why are you here at the party in the first place? Isn't this just a 'waste of everyone's time' to you?" Rainbow accuses me sharply.

"That is what I said. I've no interest in the party. I'm here only for Vinyl," I answer. Rainbow's expression fills with disbelief. "I work for her, you see."

"Yeah, right! You working for Vinyl? Everypony knows she does everything by herself," Rainbow points out in her attempt to discredit me. "Even if she did hire someone, it sure as hay wouldn't be a jerk like you!"

"Would you two please stop!?" Twilight has to step in for the third time tonight, her growing frustration easily visible on her face. "Seth, did you get off on the wrong hoof with Rainbow Dash, too? How do you end up arguing with everypony you see!?"

"Maybe because he's an extremely nasty human who yells at everypony who tries to help him?" Rainbow inserts snidely, glaring at me. When she notices Twilight's glance, she nods. "Yeah, I met him earlier. You should hear what he said to me!"

I sigh, feeling the weight of both of their gazes on me. "None of this would be happening if you ponies would simply leave well enough alone," I state firmly. "If you hate me so much, just don't associate with me."

My words don't have the desired effect. If anything, it just makes Rainbow even angrier. "You… this is… I can't stand you! You keep talking like it's all our fault, and that you've done nothing wrong! So you think that everything you're saying to all of us, no matter how rude, mean, or heartless, is justified!?" Rainbow snarls. "Even if it means hurting my friends?"

"More or less," I say matter of factly. I blink as Rainbow bristles and her gaze darkens. She draws closer to me, each hoof pressing purposefully against the floor. The air of hostility emanating from her is palpable enough to feel, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. I retreat from her until I feel the edge of the table pressing against my lower back. "Wait… what are you…?"

"Hey… hey… that's enough," Twilight physically presses her hoof against Rainbow, pushing the mare thankfully away from me. She wraps that hoof around her friend's neck. "Rainbow, let's go."

"But Twilight…!" Rainbow attempts to protest.

"Rainbow, _let's go_ ," Twilight repeats with an edge in her voice. Rainbow pauses, and then she nods. She shoots me one last glare as Twilight leads her away. It isn't long before they're lost from sight amongst the crowd.

I release the breath that I didn't realize I was holding. Before Twilight intervened, Rainbow had a dangerous glint in her eye. I can't help but wonder: was she really about to hit me?

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rainbow questions uncomfortably as she follows the unusually serious Twilight towards the back of the store. Only once the two of them were upstairs in the hallway did it become quiet enough to hear one another clearly. "Twilight?"

Twilight turns around, the usually friendly mare looking rather harried. "I brought you up here to get you away from Seth," she explains at last. "You were starting to cause a scene."

Rainbow flinches at that. "What are talking about? You heard what he was saying down there, right? Don't tell me you're going to take his side!" she snaps, jabbing a hoof in the direction of the staircase. "He told me out on the farm that we were all intrusive and unwelcome whenever we tried to be nice, and that we were just wasting his time!"

"Of course I'm not taking his side! I agree with you," Twilight assures her. "I could forgive the way he treated me; after all, he's all on his own. But it's not just me he's treating like this… he's cold, callous, and needlessly cruel to seemingly everypony he meets."

"Then why did you stop me?" Rainbow demands, feeling a mixture of both relief and confusion at Twilight's words.

"It's because the last thing the Cakes need on their first night back is you ruining their party because you picked a fight with him," Twilight answers. Rainbow's ears droop, the mare looking suitably chastised.

"I mean, I guess you're right," Rainbow admits. "But he can't just treat ponies like that. These are _my_ friends that he's hurting, and I won't let him get away with it!"

"Trust me, I know how you feel. Before you showed up, I witnessed him ripping into poor Flitter," Twilight reveals. Rainbow's face heated up as her righteous anger returned. "But I believe there has to be another way to deal with this. I think I know his side of the story, and it's not fair to him if you were to harm him over this."

"Not fair? What's not fair is that he…" Rainbow tries to protest, but Twilight is one step ahead of her.

"I know that. I never said he isn't at fault. How he acts isn't fair to us either, when all we're trying to do is help him," Twilight continues, placating the brash mare.

"So then, what are you going to do?" Rainbow asks curiously.

"I don't know. I've never dealt with anything like this before," Twilight confesses. "Listen: there are no humans in modern day Equestria because they've long since gone extinct. Seth revealed to me that he was sent forward in time against his will to our era. Do you know what that means?"

"Uh… not really," Rainbow remarks cluelessly. "So he's a time traveller, so what? You did the same thing once, remember?"

"No, Rainbow. First of all, I went backwards in time. Travelling into the future is infinitely more complex… but that's beside the point." Twilight stops herself before she can go on a tangent about the complexities of time travel. "My point is that he's completely alone in a world he doesn't understand, with no way home back to his friends and family."

"Oh gosh…" The true meaning of Twilight's argument finally dawns on Rainbow. "That really stinks… but still, that's no excuse for the things he's saying."

Twilight nods at that. "Here's what I'm thinking; just stay away from him for a day or so. Tomorrow evening, I'll send a letter to Princess Celestia asking for advice. She'll know what to do."

Rainbow sighs. "Okay, I guess I can do that. But I'm gonna show him what for if he hurts another one of my friends."

"I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen," Twilight remarks wryly. "Okay, we can go back downstairs now if you want. I'm sorry if I killed the party mood."

"Don't worry, that won't last long! I'll fix the both of you up in a jiffy!" Pinkie appears from downstairs in the blink of an eye. Before Rainbow or Twilight could properly react to her presence, she wrapped her front hooves around their barrels and whisked them both down the stairs to the kitchen.

"What the…!?"

"Pinkie!?"

When Rainbow's head finishes spinning, she finds herself beside Twilight in the kitchen with a warm fluffy cupcake shoved into her mouth. She quickly recognizes what was happening, causing her to give a muffled chuckle. She could always count on Pinkie to surprise them like this. She gulps down the cupcake quickly.

"Thanks, Pinkie," Twilight expresses after finishing her own treat. She giggles now that her heartbeat is returning to normal. "I guess you could hear us from down here."

"Yup! But don't worry about cranky ol' Seth. He's enjoying my party in his own way!" Pinkie asserts, much to their disbelief.

"How do you figure?" Rainbow questions, peering out into the hallway. Sure enough, she spotted Seth in the same location as before, the human reaching for a cookie from the rapidly emptying plate on the table.

"Well, he's eaten over half a plate of cookies, so I must have done something right!" Pinkie trills happily.

"But that's not… I mean…" Rainbow attempts to protest as Twilight chuckles. Eventually she sighs. "Okay, I'll give you that one. Too bad his tooth is the only thing sweet about him."

"It's a work in progress!" Pinkie responds enigmatically. "Anyway, you should go back and enjoy the party! It's almost time for me to start cutting the cake!"

"Yes, I think I'll go do that," Twilight decides, smiling at the inscrutable Pinkie. She turns to eye her friend. "Coming, Rainbow?"

"You know it! I haven't had nearly enough fun," Rainbow agrees readily. The two of them leave Pinkie to her preparations and make their way back out into the main room. "Think I should get Vinyl to play something more heavy?"

"If you want. I'm fine with what's currently playing, personally," Twilight responds. She snickers at the disinterest on Rainbow's face. "There's nothing wrong with the slower music, Rainbow."

After exchanging a spot of friendly banter with one another, Twilight and Rainbow split off to socialize some more. In Rainbow's case, she looks around for other members of the weather team, hoping to discuss the storm that still rages outside.

Her path inevitably passes within sight of Seth again, but Rainbow is content to ignore him this time… or at least she was, until she spotted a familiar wall-eyed mare engaging in conversation with the human.

Rainbow's eyes widen in surprise and dismay.

* * *

"I think they all sound pretty," the bubbly mare relates. She takes a brief moment to munch on one of the few remaining cookies. "I just think it's amazing how we can produce music with the most unlikely of objects. Ponies are amazing, aren't they?"

"That's a rather broad view to have. I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes all music she hears," I comment. Every so often, I'll take a sip of water from a plastic cup. I choose not to acknowledge the last part of her statement. "In a way I almost envy you."

"Oh really? Why would that make you envy me?" she questions, tilting her head to one side.

"Because if I liked all music, I would be able to fully appreciate every musician I meet. Making music takes a lot of work, no matter the genre, so they deserve respect at least for that," I respond calmly.

"Wow, I think so too!" The mare agrees happily. Her name, as she'd revealed to me, is Derpy Hooves. It's a rather odd name to be sure, but I suppose it's not the most unusual I've heard.

She's a slender gray mare with a simple yellowish mane that drapes over the front of her head, showing little in the way of style. For a cutie mark, there's a set of bubbles depicted on her flank. As for what that talent could possibly mean, I'm completely unsure. However, the most noticeable of her features is her eyes. To put it plainly, they're all over the place. It's difficult to determine where she's looking at, making conversing with her rather awkward; I don't know where to look.

That being said, talking with her is easy enough. Derpy hasn't tried to ask me about myself apart from my name, nor has she confronted me about any of the arguments I've had so far. Instead, we are having a calm discussion on the different types of music. As a former musician myself, this makes for a tolerable way to pass the time. In return, I don't ask her about her eyes. It's an arrangement that's currently working well for the both of us.

"I know you said that you don't prefer electronic music, so I'm wondering… what is your favorite genre?" Derpy inquires, the mare seeming eager to continue the conversation.

"A wide variety, actually. I don't think I can classify my tastes into one singular genre," I answer. I finish what's left of the drink in my cup, and then set it aside. "It's more along the lines of 'If I like it...'"

Before I can finish my explanation, a streak of cerulean zips between the two of us, causing me to stumble back in surprise. I heave a deep sigh when I realize that Rainbow Dash has returned and is now standing in front of me, no doubt to heckle me further. I don't miss the cold glare she sends my way.

Rainbow ignores me at first, turning to address Derpy instead. "Hey, Derpy! How's the party treating you?" Rainbow rudely starts up a separate conversation in the middle of the one I had just been having.

"Hi, Rainbow Dash! I'm having a lot of fun! I was just talking with this nice human here about music!" Derpy returns the greeting excitedly, not seeming perturbed by the interruption whatsoever. She points a hoof towards me. "Have you met him? His name is Seth!"

"You… you were what?" Rainbow looks at Derpy with a dumbfounded expression. "Seth? Nice!?"

I decide to stay out of this conversation. I'd rather not interact with Rainbow if I have any other choice. "I think I'll go peruse the rest of the food," I excuse myself. I don't get more than one step.

"You wait just a minute!" Rainbow snaps at me before I can move. My irritated huff is thankfully drowned out by the music. "Derpy, do you think you could do me a favor and check on Pinkie for me? I think she might be overworking herself again."

"Okay! I'll be right back then." Derpy nods and walks away from the table, leaving me alone to deal with Rainbow. I brace myself for the inevitable argument.

When Rainbow returns her gaze to me, her original animosity is surprisingly lessened. "When were you going to tell me you knew how to be nice?" Rainbow comments wryly. My first reaction is to scoff. "No seriously, I came over here expecting to beat the hay out of you for picking on Derpy."

"Why would I pick on her?" I ask, my tone betraying my incredulity at such a concept.

"Well, you know, she's all like…" Rainbow adopts a defensive expression, but words failed her. She sighed and tried again. "Derpy's a sweet girl, but she has a hard time getting around sometimes."

"Because of her eyes?" I supply her helpfully, having already put two and two together. Rainbow nods, confirming my suspicions. "Do ponies pick on her because of that?"

"Sometimes. She can be pretty clumsy," Rainbow admits. I shake my head in disbelief. I can't imagine picking on someone just because of a physical disability.

"The more things change, the more things stay the same," I mutter to myself. Rainbow hears me and tilts her head in confusion. "Nevermind. Rest assured, I know full well how I come across, but I'm not a bully."

"You could have fooled me, the first time we met," Rainbow grumbles. I just roll my eyes at that. She continues, narrowing her eyes at me. "I thought you didn't want any friends? So why is it that Derpy is the only one you're nice to?"

"If you're thinking it's something personal, it's not. Derpy, as opposed to nearly every other pony I've met, didn't try to nose into my business, nor force her morals on me," I explain with a shrug. "If all she wanted was idle conversation, that's fine with me."

"Then how come you were such a jerk to me when I was trying to introduce myself?" Rainbow demands.

"First of all, you weren't there to talk. You showed up to berate me about my issues with Flitter. Second of all, you weren't introducing yourself. You were putting yourself up on a pedestal and talking down to me," I assert coldly.

Rainbow recoils with shock. "What? That's not what I was doing at all!" she protests fervently. "I was just trying to be friendly before talking to you about Flitter!"

"That's not how you came across to me," I contend, crossing my arms.

"It's not like you gave me much of a chance to begin with," Rainbow grumbles bitterly. She rubs her eyes and sighs. "Fine, whatever. Can we start over then?"

"What, you don't want to kick me out of the party anymore?" I raise an eyebrow at her request. That seems rather sudden, coming from the pony who recently told me to get out of town. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter in the end. I shake my head. "I don't see the point, to be honest. As I've said, I'm leaving Ponyville. I have no need of friends here."

"Oh come on! What's wrong with making a few friends before you go?" Rainbow complains, the mare starting to pout. "Doesn't acting like a jerk to every pony you meet cause more trouble than just being friendly?"

"As I've said, I wouldn't need to 'act like a jerk' in the first place if ponies would quit meddling in my business," I remind her, much to her frustration. "If you really want the truth, I don't trust you. I don't trust any of you."

"Why not? You barely know anything about us!" Rainbow objects hotly. "Is it just because we're ponies? What about other humans!?"

"Of course it's not because you're a pony. While that is still difficult for me to grasp, it's nothing worth nursing prejudice over. I'm no bigot," I protest, somewhat offended by that. "As for how I treated humans, that's hardly your business, but I treated them much the same. Though their ulterior motives were more transparent."

"You make no sense. One moment, you're acting like a total jerk, and then another, you're showing me you're not as bad as I thought," Rainbow groans, resting her face in her hoof. "I don't _have_ an ulterior do you think we all have one?"

"That, I'm certainly not going to tell you. That's as personal as it gets," I deny her stubbornly. Ignoring her huff of annoyance, I reach for a cupcake on the table. "I've said more than I should, anyway. It's probably best you go and mingle with your friends now, rather than wasting your time with me."

Rainbow stamps her hoof down, snorting obstinately. "No, I don't think so. I'm not going to let you get off that easy. I'll show you I don't have an ulterior motive!" the mare declares. My eyebrow raises once again. I don't think it's possible for her to do that in a way I'll accept. "Come dance with me. Right now."

"What? Where the hell did that come from?" I demand, scrutinizing her with confusion. Rainbow just grins in response. I shake my head vigorously. "First of all, I don't know how you think that's going to convince me. Second of all, I don't dance."

"Aw, don't be like that. Come on, let's go dance. What could I possibly get out of that, besides a little fun?" Rainbow counters, butting her head against my leg. "Unless you're telling me you've never danced before."

My hands start to tremble somewhat. For some reason, a feeling of deja vu settles over me. "Of course I have… a long time ago," I reply with a halting voice.

"Then what? Is it because you're too scared of being shown up on the dance floor?" Rainbow teases me, her grin growing wider.

I nearly drop the cupcake in my hand. With the combination of her familiar words, the expression on her face, and the similar situation, I can't help but see Amaryllis in this pony before me. The absurdity of such a thing makes me want to laugh, but at the same time… it's unsettling.

"Put that cupcake down and come on! Don't be worried about what all these other ponies think." Rainbow grabs onto one of my hands with her front hooves and attempts to drag me out onto the dance floor. I resist of course, but she doesn't give up. "Don't worry, I promise not to pick on you when you end up being awful at it."

The cupcake falls from my hand as I allow Rainbow to pull me forward in a daze. It's getting hard to determine how I'm feeling at this moment. Twilight notices Rainbow and I moving to the dance floor, causing her to tilt her head, appearing nonplussed and blinking.

Dancing is absurd. There's nothing fun about waving my arms around like a complete fool. It isn't appealing to move my body in erratic ways while surrounded by loud and sweaty people, while the heat gets worse and worse. Why should I humiliate myself in front of scores of people?

As we walk on to the dance floor, Lyra spots the two of us. "Hey, how's _that_ fair!?" she protests, emphasizing her frustration with her two front hooves. Applejack notices us as well. She removes her hat and holds it against her chest, her eyes widening.

I don't dance. I've only ever danced with one person. I said I'd never dance with another person ever again. Amaryllis was the only one I'd ever consider dancing with, as she was my closest friend. So why am I here, right now, slowly moving my body to the beat while Rainbow looks on?

Vinyl's jaw drops when she sees us, her shades nearly falling off. A smile spreads across her muzzle, and then she switches the record in the middle of a song. Surprisingly enough, the distorted tune of an electric guitar sounds from the speakers. The drums kick in, and the tempo picks up, resembling a style of music that I once enjoyed.

"See? This isn't so bad!" Rainbow expresses to me happily as she shakes her barrel from side to side, her mane flying every which direction. I don't have an answer, as deep in thought as I am. My body is moving on instinct and muscle memory now, remembering that time in the bar so long ago.

Pinkie screams with delight and joins the crowd on the dance floor, where she starts pulling off dance moves that seem as though they'd be unsuitable for pony anatomy. Despite this, they appear natural for her, and she shows no sign of pain. Her enthusiasm causes other ponies to join in, making this the most full the dance floor has been the whole night.

At some point, after three minutes of the rather long song had passed, I break out of my trance and realize what's going on. Embarrassment and shame fills me in a heartbeat, causing me to flush deeply. Disgusted at myself, I stop dancing and retreat from the dance floor as quickly as I can manage.

"Hey, where are you going? We were just starting to have fun!" Rainbow follows me off the dance floor, looking upset. "Seth!"

"Stop. I shouldn't have let you force me into that in the first place," I snap, an edge finding its way into my tone. I push through the crowd and make a beeline for the back hallway, craving isolation more than anything else right now.

"I didn't 'force you' into anything! You looked like you were having fun too, so what gives?" Rainbow insists, pursuing me all the way back to the hallway. She flinches under the blistering glare that I give her.

"Just stop! For god's sake, why can't you just leave me alone?!" I demand, facing her directly. She looks taken aback by the sudden vehemence in my words. I can't explain it, but I'm furious. Furious at her, and furious at myself. The fact that I thought, even for an instant, that she could ever be like Amaryllis; the fact that I allowed myself to be moved by emotion to the point where I broke my own promise to my lost friend; The combination of these two things has me shaking with rage and self-loathing. "I don't need this! I don't need fun, and I don't need friends! I'm leaving Ponyville soon, and I won't be coming back! How dare you get in my way?!"

Rainbow is left speechless for several seconds by my sudden tirade. She looks at me with bafflement. I realize that what I said would have made no sense to her. After catching my breath, I sink down into a sitting position with my back against the wall.

"What…?" Rainbow asks.

I avert my gaze from her. A pressure grows in the center of my tightening chest, causing me to shift uncomfortably. "Just go back to your party. I need some time to myself," I utter in a hollow voice. I don't look at her again.

Several agonizing seconds pass, and then I hear Rainbow retreating, leaving me to my blissful solitude. I should feel relieved now that I'm alone, but instead, rage smoulders in my chest like burning coals. How could I have done something so stupid? Everyone on the dance floor saw me there with Rainbow. I pound my fist against the wall, but it doesn't make me feel any better.

The pressure in my chest gradually fades away as I force myself to calm down with deep breaths. This was foolish of me, but it won't pose a problem. I just need to keep a level head from here on out, and I'll be out of Ponyville before long.

Without any method of telling time, the party seems to drag on for a painfully long time. There's nothing for me to do other than sit here, so it's also dreadfully dull. I spend most of the time with my eyes closed, listening to the music and analyzing its characteristics in my head.

"Oh! Well, hello there." My solitude is eventually broken by a demure feminine voice. I glance up to see a snow-white unicorn mare walking into the hallway. Her mane is colored a rich shade of royal violet and appears to be painstakingly styled into fancy curls at the ends. It's impossible to see her cutie mark due to the extravagant rose fabric draped over her back.

I do my best to keep a level expression. This would be the first pony I've ever seen wearing clothes to this degree. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that she's wearing a dress. Like a human dress, the bodice clings to her chest and possesses two sleeves that hug her front shoulders. However, the skirt doesn't hug her belly, but is instead cut open at the waist line to make room for her back hooves to move. Now, as nice as I'm assuming such attire is for a pony, she appears exceedingly overdressed for a party like this.

The mare waits for a reaction to her greeting, but she soon realizes she isn't going to get one when I return my gaze to the floor. "Erm… would you kindly move your legs so I may pass?" the mare requests uncertainly. I wordlessly do as she asks. She smiles and passes me by, heading for the back staircase. "Thank you, dear."

She climbs the stairs and leaves me for a few minutes, but it isn't long before she returns. This time, even though I move my legs as before, she doesn't pass me. "Pardon my rudeness earlier, I was in a bit of a hurry," the mare apologizes to me. I sigh quietly, realize that she seems intent on speaking with me. She dips in a slight curtsy. "I am Rarity, and I run the Carousel Boutique, on the hill by the square. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I unwillingly get to my feet. I don't know anything about this Rarity, so it would be unwise to be rude to her. I won't make another mistake like Rainbow Dash. Just thinking about that mare stirs my rage from its slumber.

"You can call me Seth." I return her introduction as tersely as possible. "Don't let me keep you. I'm sure there's more fun to be had out there with your friends."

"Nonsense. Mingling is part of the appeal. I noticed you sitting here all by yourself and just couldn't ignore you," Rarity corrects me with a smile. Her eyes slowly travel down my body until she notices my clothing. Her nose wrinkles with distaste. "If you don't mind me asking, just what is that you're wearing? It's… pardon my rudeness… but it looks simply horrid."

"My jeans? Funny. You're the first one to point that out," I concede. "It's not as if I have a choice, however. They're the only pair of pants I have."

Rarity appears to find that understandably off-putting. "Darling, they're filthy! As loathe as I am to say it, it would be better to do without," she suggests. That takes me by surprise at first, until I recall that ponies don't seem to wear clothes that often.

"That's not an option. Humans don't have thick fur to keep warm like you do," I point out. "I will buy new clothes as soon as I can afford it. Until then, this is all I have."

"That simply won't do. I insist that you stop by my boutique sometime later so that we can rectify this predicament," Rarity urges me. "Perhaps tomorrow, unless you're busy?"

"I repeat: I will buy new clothes as soon as I can _afford them_ ," I say, somewhat annoyed.

For some reason, Rarity shows a hint of concern. She composes herself so quickly, however, making me wonder if I'd seen it at all. She clicks her tongue. "A human, one of our great precursors, should be dressed elegantly! You won't pay for a thing until I've made you at least one warm outfit," she attempts to reassure me, but it has the opposite effect.

"I won't say it again," I state, my impatience starting to creep into my tone. Glancing at her dress, I believe I can reasonably guess that her clothing must be rather gaudy and expensive. "I may take you up on your offer later, but only when I can pay you for it."

"Don't worry, you won't have to pay for…" Rarity doesn't seem willing to let it go so easily. I cut her off with a frustrated huff.

"I heard what you said. It never fails to astound me how pushy you ponies can be," I snap. Rarity recoils, lifting a hoof.

"P-Pushy!?" Rarity stammers, offended.

"I heard your offer, and I'll keep it in mind. However, I said I'll accept only when I have the money," I repeat one last time. "Please do us both a favor and just accept that."

Rarity flushed, the mare looking upset. "Well, I was only trying to help," she acknowledges irritably, lowering her hoof. "You didn't have to be so rude about it"

"I wouldn't have to be, if you ponies would accept what I say when I say it," I counter her exasperatedly. "How does anyone make their own decisions in this blasted town?"

"Very well, I suppose I shall retract my kindness and leave you be," Rarity's words are short and clipped now, betraying her indignance. She finally passes me on her way back to the main room. "Good evening, Seth."

I dread talking to anyone at all now. Nearly every single one of them attempts to be friendly, which then turns into an argument. As it stands, Derpy is the only one that was content just to talk to me. Even then, I believe it's only a matter of time.

Pinkie suddenly bounces out of the kitchen. She spots me immediately beams. "Hi Seth! I hope you didn't eat too many cookies!" She grabs my hand before I can sit back down. "Come on out of your corner! It's time for cake now!"

"I wasn't in a corner," I correct her sharply, but she doesn't pay any attention to that. Instead, she just keeps tugging me until I'm out in the main room again. By the time I manage to extricate myself from her grip, I'm surrounded by ponies. The crowd is thickening around the table upon which the gigantic cake is situated. As unenthusiastic as I am about the party overall, I'm looking forward to trying that cake.

Pinkie signals to Vinyl with her hoof, and the DJ lowers the volume of the music. "Everypony gather around!" Pinkie announces now that she can be heard. "I think you've all waited long enough! It's time for the Cakes to have their cake!"

Pinkie giggled at her own joke, and then she beckoned to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the guests of honor for tonight. The crowd parted to allow the two happy ponies passage. "I went all out on this one!" Pinkie proclaims. She produces a cake knife and carefully slices down into the cake, cutting out a reasonable portion.

"It looks delicious, Pinkie. You've really outdone yourself," Mrs. Cake evaluates appreciatively. She picks up a plate from the nearby table with her mouth and holds it out just long enough for Pinkie to put the first slice on it. Then, Mrs. Cake turns her neck and sets the plate on her back. "Thank you again for the party."

"Yes, thank you!" Mr. Cake agrees, accepting his slice next. Once the two of them had received their cake the rest of the ponies surge forward to claim a slice as well. I notice the line forming and quickly insert myself into it before it grows too long.

As I'm waiting for my turn, the music returns to its original volume. Ponies are trickling back to find spaces to eat their cake, leaving the dance floor mostly empty for the moment. Even Vinyl steps away from her tables to partake in the baked confection as well.

Standing in the line makes me realize how exposed I am. Thankfully, the ponies closest to me no longer seem worried about my presence. They hardly spare a glance in my direction. As much as I hate to admit it, some good did come out of that...blunder of mine. Though in the end, it may cause me more trouble to make that benefit seem miniscule, judging from the way Lyra is eyeing me from further back in the line.

When I get to the front of the line, Pinkie happily relinquishes a slice to me, the cake resting on a pink paper plate decorated with balloon imagery. Beside the cake on the table, I notice a pile of neatly stacked plastic forks resting atop a folded napkin. Surprised to see them, I step out of line and take one. I had thought they wouldn't exist because they're impractical for ponies, but it appears I am wrong.

I proceed to withdraw from the crowd and return to my place in the back hallway to eat my cake in peace. The slice that I received consists of three layers of both chocolate and vanilla. The icing is thick and pink, and tastes like strawberries. With Pinkie's baking skills combined with the fact that strawberry is a favorite flavor of mine, eating the cake proves to be an enjoyable experience.

When I'm finished, my stomach is as full as can be—a welcome change to the ever present hunger that's been my constant companion for the past two days. I stretch my legs out and relax, content to lie here for the remainder of the party.

As the hour grows ever later, the party eventually winds down. Ponies are beginning to tire from constantly dancing or playing silly games. It isn't long before they start to trickle out of the building, giving their regards to those they meet along the way. I get to my feet, recognizing that it's soon going to be time for me to do my job.

I make my way into the main room, my hands tucked into my pockets. I'm just in time to see Applejack and Rarity congratulating the Cakes once more before they too take their leave. I spot Rainbow on her way out as well, but I pointedly avoid looking at her. I can feel her gaze linger on me for a good several seconds until she finally leaves as well.

The music soon comes to an end, and then Vinyl hops off of the stage. She briefly makes eye contact with me long enough to beckon to me with her head. I note how exhausted she looks. Like before, powering her set up for as long as she has no doubt taken its toll on her.

"First things first: let's get all these cables unplugged," Vinyl directs me, pointing to each of the areas where the aforementioned cables are plugged in. "That's the easy part. Then you can help me take the speakers down from those poles."

"Got it. Just point me to whatever needs doing," I acknowledge her, already moving to the first cluster of cables.

The cables must be designed to prevent easy disconnection, as they require me to press down on a tiny lever to loosen them, and swiftly tug to unplug them. Once a set of cables has been unplugged from both ends, Vinyl or I will coil them up and tie them into knots to prevent them from tangling inside the cart. Then, we place them in one of the tubs Vinyl has staged at the end of the stage.

As I'm working I do my best to memorize the labels on everything. The Equestrian language consists of multiple strange glyphs, some of which appear more than once. Despite my efforts, it'll likely take me several more gigs before I can memorize the meanings of these labels.

While Vinyl and I are working, Pinkie zips around the room like an angry hornet, taking down party decorations and gathering empty plates and discarded dishes. I don't know how she has the energy for that, but I can't deny that she's cleaning the building efficiently. As for any other ponies, the building is soon nearly empty. Of the remaining ponies, I only recognize Twilight, who appears to be aiding in the cleanup efforts. The Cakes appear to have already left the room. Whether they went upstairs or to the kitchen is unknown to me.

Lifting and moving the heavier equipment in Vinyl's ensemble is an arduous task, which is only exacerbated by my injuries. It isn't hard for Vinyl to notice that I'm favoring my left side, but when I make no signs of stopping work, she doesn't react apart from giving me a worried look.

Once everything has been loaded into the cart, our task is complete. Vinyl dusts off her hooves and heaves a satisfied sigh. "That's about everything! As soon as we get paid, we're outta here," Vinyl announces as she sits down.

A nod is my only response. I'm out of breath and my body is aching from all of the hard work, making it difficult for me to form words at all. While I'm waiting, I rest against the stage until my breath returns. Vinyl watches me with some amusement.

"You're pretty out of shape, dude," she comments. "If this was hard, how did you handle working with Applejack on the farm?"

"I'm not entirely sure," I admit, earning a laugh from Vinyl. I clear my throat and force myself to breathe normally.

"Still, you pushed through without a complaint. Respect," Vinyl compliments me. "If you want to get _in_ shape, that's the way to do it."

I want to mention that it's because I don't have any other choice, but then I decide better of it. Instead, I give another short nod as a response.

"Scratchie! I've got your bits!" Pinkie emerges from the back hallway with a sizeable sack of what I assume is our pay hanging from her mouth. Vinyl perks up at that, as do I. "Sorry for making you wait!"

"No prob, Pinks. Thanks," Vinyl accepted the payment, the bag levitating over to the floor in front of her. Once Pinkie saw that we had it, she bounced back across the room while nattering to herself about the cleaning she still had left to do. "Now then, let's see about your share…"

Vinyl opens the bag and sifts through the golden coins with her telekinesis, counting under her breath. "Eighteen bits. Alright, that makes it easy," she mutters to herself.

"Only eighteen? Didn't you say you made between thirty and two hundred per gig?" I recall, feeling somewhat worried. Twenty five percent of that, rounded down, would put me up to ten bits total.

"Pinkie Parties is a different matter. Because she has them so often, I give her a discount, because she usually asks for me," Vinyl explains. Sure enough, she counts out four bits and passes them to me. "There you go. Thanks for the help, by the way."

I accept the coins and place them in the sack with the rest of my money. I stand up and grab my rifle from where it leans against the stage. Before I can leave, however, Vinyl walks in front of me.

"Hold up. About yesterday," Vinyl began, her expression turning serious. "Have you found a place to stay yet?"

"Not yet, no. I was about to ask you the cost of an average inn," I answer her honestly.

"An inn? Well, we don't really have one in the sense that you're thinking," Vinyl reveals, much to my dismay. "The closest we have is the bar, which has a few rooms upstairs that are given out at the owner's discretion. The cheapest of those is about fifteen bits."

" _Fifteen_?" I repeat, my voice rising. The bits in my hand suddenly seem as worthless as rocks in the face of such a number.

"What, you don't have enough?" Vinyl sounds alarmed as well for some reason. I shake my head solemnly. It seems I won't be escaping another night outside. I'll have to figure something out to avoid freezing to death. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Applejack probably wouldn't pay you eleven bits for anything less than a dawn to dusk shift."

"Her pay was one bit an hour, and I worked six hours today," I clarify for her. Vinyl nods, likely finding that similar to what she expected.

"But that means you've got nowhere to go to get out of the weather tonight," Vinyl reminds me. She rubs her chin with a hoof as she ponders. "Tell you what, I can front you five extra bits just for…"

"Absolutely not. I can't believe you've even consider giving me half of your pay," I cut across her immediately.

"Just for tonight, I was about to say," Vinyl finishes with some annoyance. "You can't stay outside tonight, so just stop being stubborn and take it."

"I don't care what you call it. I won't take charity from you. I earned four bits, so that is all I'll accept," I assert, crossing my arms. If I'm firm enough now, perhaps she'll finally take the hint. "Plus, saying it's 'just for tonight' is complete nonsense. Even with a one time bonus, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the daily cost of a room in the bar."

Vinyl sighs with frustration, knowing that my argument is correct. "Fine. Then come stay with me. I told you I have a spare room I'm more than willing to give you," she repeats with determination.

"I believe I told _you_ that no matter what the alternative was, I'm not accepting that offer," I shoot back, an edge entering my voice. Unfortunately, unlike most ponies I interactive with, sounding angry does nothing to dissuade Vinyl.

"Agh for the love of…" Vinyl grabs me, giving me a bit of a shake. "Seth… you don't seem to get it. It's still raining out there. You _will_ freeze to death. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it! Do I have to pull the boss card on you again?"

"If you 'pull the boss card' on me again, I quit," I snap back, my tone turning icy and my eyes narrowing. Vinyl's jaw drops, taken aback by my words. "I won't be manipulated by you. In the end, it's no business of yours what happens to me."

"I don't care what you say, Seth! I'm making it my business. What kind of awful pony would I have to be to let someone freeze to death when I can clearly do something about it?" Vinyl argues vehemently. I scoff with disbelief. Why is she still pushing this? I've made it abundantly clear that I won't accept her help, so why is she trying so hard? "I mean, for Celestia's sake, it's just a place to stay! It's not like I'm…"

Vinyl is interrupted by a gasp from nearby. We both turn to see Twilight, who appears to have been passing us on her way out of the building. I groan, realizing that she overheard us.

"Seth, you told me you _had_ a place to stay!" Twilight accuses me, the mare walking up to the two of us. Vinyl shoots her a grateful glance before returning her gaze to me.

"I never said I had a place to stay; I said _I had it covered_." My patience is quickly nearing its limit. It's going to be much harder to get out of this now that there's two of them on my case. "That meant that you should mind your own business. I assumed you were smart enough to understand that."

"But if you had nowhere to go, why didn't you tell me? I would have given you my spare bed!" Twilight demands. When I don't answer, she lets out a frustrated cry. "I just don't get it, Seth! I just want to help and understand you, but everywhere I turn, I hear stories from another pony you've rebuffed!

"Yeah, I agree. Seriously dude, we're just trying to be nice to you. Why are you so against the idea of us helping you out?" Vinyl adds on. "It's like you think we'll use everything we give you to…"

The more they demand from me, the closer I get to losing my cool. Despite the rational part of my mind telling me that I can't afford to get angry lest I lose my only source of livelihood, it's getting increasingly harder to keep from doing so. Finally, I can't stop myself anymore.

"That's enough!" I shout, my voice now loud enough to be heard over the both of them. Both Twilight and Vinyl are taken aback by my raised voice and fall silence. "I'm beyond tired of having to tell you ponies again and again that I don't want your help nor your friendship! What happens to me is my business and my business alone!"

"But Seth…" Twilight tries to cut in, but I won't let her.

"I don't want to hear it! You have no reason to care about me as much as you keep claiming to! It would be so much easier if you just forgot about me, Twilight! You already know that I won't be staying around you long enough to give you the information you need to write your book, so please stop trying!"

"But that's not what I…" Twilight attempts once more, but to no avail. I turn my glare onto Vinyl next, causing her to flinch.

"And then there's you! I told you just now that I'd quit in an instant. Why haven't you fired me yet!? Haven't either of you learned that you can't get anything from me by acting nice!?"

"What are you even talking about? You make it sound like everything we're doing is to try and manipulate you!" Vinyl shoots back, her voice rising to meet mine. "Get over yourself! I can't even begin to tell you how paranoid that is! Seriously, all we've ever wanted from you is your friendship!"

"Yeah, that's what I've been trying to tell you this whole time!" Twilight joins in once more, her nerve returning.

"For the love of… you ponies are the most frustrating creatures I think I've ever met!" I yell back at them, my throat beginning to hurt. "If not to manipulate me, why do you keep trying so hard to help me? Why do you keep going out of your way, when you could easily just leave me behind!? Why can't you just pretend I don't exist, like everyone else!?"

I finally stop shouting, having said everything currently in my mind. I keep glaring at the two of them as I breathe heavily. I press my hand against the center of my chest, where a sudden tightness has developed. I hardly even notice the fact that our argument has drawn the attention of nearly everyone else in the room.

"What happened to you, Seth?" Twilight asks softly, her eyes widening with understanding. "Why are you so convinced that our kindness isn't genuine?"

"It doesn't matter if it is or if it isn't, in the end. I simply want no part of it. There's no point in making friends when I'm simply going to be leaving town in a week or so. You understand that I'll likely never return," I remind her. Twilight nods, but this is the first time Vinyl has heard of that. "Either way, that… is as personal as it gets. Please, just give up on me."

"Sorry, dude, but that's not going to happen," Vinyl says with a shrug. "You can yell and scream all you want, but I'm not so shallow that I'd give up on someone just because it wasn't easy."

"I just don't get you at all," I say with a heavy sigh. I don't have enough energy to get angry with them again. "But nevertheless, I still won't accept your charity."

"Then… wait, hold on a sec," Vinyl looked as though she were about to get irritated again, but then she suddenly stopped, her eyes widening. She groaned and let her face fall into her hoof. "Oh dear Celestia, I'm so dumb. I have an idea that'll work for all of us."

"Really? What is it?" I ask suspiciously. Twilight too looks interested in what she's come up with.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. Come stay with me, and I'll just charge you rent. That way, you'll get a better deal than the bar, and I'll be happy knowing you aren't dying of hypothermia."

"I should have thought of that too," Twilight admits, facehoofing as well. "This way, it won't be charity."

"That's…" I open my mouth, but I can't come up with anything wrong with that suggestion. I come to the sudden realization that all of this trouble could have been avoided if I'd have thought of that myself. I was so set against the idea of being friendly towards anyone that I completely missed the obvious solution. "Okay. I suppose I can settle for that."

Vinyl and Twilight both release sighs of relief. "Thank the princesses," Vinyl remarks. What Vinyl says next causes Twilight to choke back a laugh despite the situation. "You're so stubborn you could make Rainbow Dash look like Fluttershy."

"I don't know who Fluttershy is," I state irritably. "But that's beside the point. How would this work? How many bits per day are you asking?"

"I don't think I'm gonna charge you per day. That would strain your wallet way too much," Vinyl decides. "I'm thinking I'd charge you per week. How many hours do you think you'll be working on the farm every day?"

"Assuming I get up at dawn and stop around six in the evening, that's about ten hours," I answer uncertainly.

"I have about three gigs per week on average, so…" Vinyl trails off as she runs up some quick numbers in her head. "You'd make an average of ninety bits per week, assuming you work seven days a week. How does forty bits per week sound?"

"That leaves me fifty left over. That means I can leave Ponyville in two weeks," I muse, liking the sound of this. I feel a little bit stupid that we didn't just work this out in the first place instead of yelling at one another. "What all is included in the cost?"

"You get the room, access to my bathroom and everything in it, two meals a day—I'd say three, but you'll be at the farm all day and Applejack'll likely provide lunch—basically all the essentials," Vinyl explains.

"This is actually a really good idea!" Twilight chimes in. I notice that there's now a firm piece of parchment and a quill floating telekinetically in front of her, and she's rapidly scribbling something down on it. "I'll write up a temporary contract real quick, and you two can have it made official when you have a chance!"

"You have the authority to write temporary rent contracts?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean I probably could if I asked," Twilight reasoned sheepishly, dipping her head. "But I just wanted to feel helpful over here. It'll be fine as long as you make it official with the mayor soon."

"Hah, silly mare," Vinyl chuckles a bit at Twilight's explanation. "Either way, you good with all of this, Seth?"

"I should be asking you that. You sure you want to offer this to me… even after yelling at you like that?" I point out.

"What that? That's not a big deal. You'd hardly be the first who's thrown a tantrum over something silly," Vinyl remarks. "You should have seen me when I was a filly."

"I'm not sure how to feel about that," I mutter bitterly. "But I have no further objections."

"Awesome! Looks like you're my roomie now!" Vinyl declares. She then catches herself with a bemused expression. "Wait… is that right? Housemate? Flatmate? Twilight, help me out here."

"The word you're looking for is 'tenant,'" Twilight helpfully supplies as she finishes inscribing the temporary contract. She levitates the parchment over to us, along with a quill for us to use. "Now, all you two have to do is sign it!"

"Looks good!" Vinyl decrees after looking the contract over. I glance at it as well, but the writing is as incomprehensible as ever. The two lines at the bottom, however, prove to be easily recognizable. Vinyl grasps the quill with her magic and signs what I assume to be her name on the top line. She then passes the quill to me.

"What do you think, Seth?" Twilight asks next. She moves the contract over to me.

"I can't read it, but I'm assuming that everything that's on it is what we just discussed," I reveal to Twilight. I grasp the quill and sign my name on the second line in neat cursive. Writing on the paper hanging in midair feels strange, as though it's pressed against a solid surface. "That being said, I sign this under the provision that I agree only to those terms. Nothing that you put in the fine print will apply to me."

"There isn't any fine print, dude. Relax," Vinyl assures me, the mare poking my leg with her hoof.

"That's fair of course. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you can't read Equestrian," Twilight replies. She brings the contract back to her. After looking it over, she rolls it up and seals it. She passes it to Vinyl, who places it in the cart with the rest of her equipment. "What language did you sign it in? Was that the human language?"

"One of them, yes," I clarify for her. After putting my rifle in the cart as well, I glance over to Vinyl. "Anything else, or are we done here?"

"That's it! We'll be leaving now, Twilight," Vinyl confirms. She beckons to me, and the two of us move to the cart. Vinyl stretches the tarp back over the cart, thus protecting it from the elements. "Let's get this puppy moving, Seth."

"Good night to the both of you! Seth, are you still coming to see me tomorrow?" Twilight questions while the two of us push the cart towards the door.

"That was the idea… you're telling me you're also okay with me, even after this argument?" I return with a raised eyebrow. Twilight appears genuinely confused by my question.

"Why wouldn't I be? It would be shallow of me to write someone off simply because of one argument," Twilight reasons. She notices my resulting bemusement. "Is that how you perceive us?"

I shake my head, even more confused than before. "Don't get offended. It's just something I see rather often."

"Well, you won't see that from me!" Twilight proclaims. She accompanies us outside into the wind and rain for a little while, and then gives us a wave. "I'm heading back to the library now. See you tomorrow, Seth!"

With that, Vinyl and I continue on our way to her home. I shiver involuntarily at the sudden drop in temperature. The worst of the storm seems to have already passed, but the wind and rain have yet to subside. As a result, the air feels ten degrees colder than usual due to windchill. As goosebumps form on my bare chest, I can't help but admit; I definitely would have frozen to death out here.

The aftermath of the storm consists of scattered thatch, knocked over mailboxes or boxes, and streams of rainwater surging downhill through the streets. In other areas where the elevation is slightly lower, large puddles of excess water have formed. Vinyl makes a point to avoid running her cart through such puddles.

It seems like an eternity has passed when we finally reach Vinyl's house. No sooner had she opened the door than I was pushing the cart inside as quickly as possible. Vinyl chuckles at my haste.

"You really should look into getting something to keep warm. You look like you're freezing," Vinyl suggests as she closes the door behind us.

"Trust me, it's on my list of things to do," I grunt. The two of us maneuver the cart just inside the door to the right. "Whew, is that it?"

"That's it!" Vinyl affirms. She then looks around the large sitting room in which we're standing. The place is hardly tidy, and she seems to realize that; a supposition that's supported by the faint blush on her face. "Sorry, my place is a wreck. I hope you don't mind."

"If you'd ever seen a college dorm before, you wouldn't say that," I quip while I look around.

The sitting room is simple, consisting of a small couch and two armchairs positioned around a fireplace set in the far wall. Between them is a wooden coffee table, atop of which are several coasters and empty mugs. There are also multiple end tables with candles on top of them littered about the room.

The mess that she was referring to came from clothes being thrown on the floor or hung over the back of armchairs, the empty cups on the table, and various musical paraphernalia such as books, cables, and even an acoustic guitar.

To the left is a small kitchen, separated from the sitting room by a low partition. The kitchen is also a mess, with dirty dishes still in the sink and the counters scattered with crumbs. At the very back of the kitchen is a staircase crammed against the back wall that leads upstairs, to where I assume the bedrooms are.

"Well, this is my pad! Though I suppose it's yours now too," Vinyl announces awkwardly. I follow her when she walks into the sitting room. She removes her ever present shades from her eyes, giving me my first look at them. Surprisingly, her eyes are a dark shade of magenta, which appears red in the dim light. The color clashes with her electric blue mane, yet it doesn't seem out of place. "I should probably clean a bit…"

"I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't matter to me how you live," I say with a shrug. "More importantly, where will I be sleeping?"

"Oh yeah!" Vinyl pointed towards the staircase. "If you head upstairs, the spare room is the last door on the right. My room is right across from that, and the bathroom is the door closest to the stairs. The last door is the laundry room. I know you can't read the settings though, so I can teach you later."

"Thank you." I move over to the cart and fish through the equipment until I find my rifle. "Last question. When's the next time you have a gig?"

"Not tomorrow, but the next day. Tomorrow I'm not doing a thing!" Vinyl declares, the mare flopping on her couch. "Oh yeah, but I'll be up to make breakfast for you."

"Even though that's at dawn?" I remark, cranking an eyebrow. The only response I get is a short groan. I shake my head with minor amusement. "Alright. Anyway, I'm going to wash up before bed. Wake me up when you're making food."

"Got it. Have a good night dude! By the way, the shower is right for hot, left for cold!" Vinyl calls up after me as I climb the stairs. I make a mental note of that and head directly for the bathroom.

This is the first real bathroom I've seen, not counting the outhouse I used while working out in the field with Applejack. I'm not sure what I expected, but it doesn't look that much different than a human bathroom. Everything save for the tub is noticeably lower to account for pony size. It's a disorienting effect; I feel like I'm taller than I should be.

I turn on the shower and gauge the temperature of the water with my hand. Once it feels as warm as I like it, I undress and step inside. The showerhead is low, so I get down on my knees. I let out a sigh of contentment as any chill remaining on me is washed away by the warmth.

Glancing around the tub reveals a bar of soap on a small shelf, as well as bottles of what I assume is shampoo and conditioner. As tempting as it is to wash my hair free of the accumulated grease, I'm not entirely sure what formula those hair products use, so it could potentially damage my hair. I'm not about to risk that.

However, I do pick up the soap and test its consistency. I'm assuming it isn't made out of animal fat, of course. It feels soft on the skin and easily forms a suprisingly thick lather. With luck, this won't irritate my skin. Deciding to risk it, I start to clean myself.

It's been a long day. To start it all off, I suffered from mild hypothermia. Then, I spoke with Twilight, worked for several grueling hours with Applejack, and then went to a painstakingly long party with Vinyl. All of that then culminated in my presence here, as a tenant in Vinyl's house. To say that it's been stressful goes without saying. Nevertheless, scrubbing the dirt and grime free of my skin serves wonders for my mental state.

Once I'm finished, I dry off with a fluffy white towel that's somewhat too small for me, and then I hang it on the rack. I dress up only in my underwear, and then I carry my clothes back to my new room. I would get them washed, but as it stands, it's very late at night, and I'll be waking up at dawn. I don't have time.

I step into my room, close the door, and proceed to look around. The room isn't anything fancy. There's a small bed pressed up against the far room with a dark wooden dresser beside it. Additionally, resting against the wall in front of the room's sole window is a desk equipped with quills, inkwells, and paper.

Setting my clothes down on the floor, I climb into the bed. Unsurprisingly, the bed is somewhat too small for me, so my legs dangle off the other end. I tend to sleep with my legs curled up anyway, so it's thankfully not a problem.

I breathe deeply, letting my head rest against the soft pillow. After spending a night outside, it's so nice to have comfort and warmth, even if I had to be convinced to accept it. I am at last in a favorable situation. I have food, shelter, and a sustainable source of income. It won't be long before I have enough money to leave Ponyville and head to the north.

Sombra won't be able to hide forever.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Somehow I completely forgot about the fact that I hadn't yet posted the seventh chapter on this site. That's rather stupid of me, especially since that chapter's been done for over a month. Whoops!

This one gave me a lot of trouble, as every little word seemed to resist me on its way out. Other times my motivation was at an all time low. But somehow I managed to force my way through it.

 **The change list from the original chapter:**

-Improved the descriptions used in the chapter. Referring to the Cakes as the "yellow stallion" and the "blue mare" was about as lazy as could be.

-The biggest change I made is the complete removal of every single time Seth danced. That includes any silliness he may have had with Applejack, Dash, Pinkie, Lyra, and Flitter. This allowed the chapter to mesh well with the previous rewrites, as well as fit Seth's character. It never made sense to me that he hated everyone, but dancing with them was okay. Instead, Seth remained in the back hallway for most of the time, as he had no incentive to join in the party.

-Rather than Seth and Lyra dancing first thing, I added a scene where Lyra seeks him out and asks him to dance. Seth is of course as opposed to this as you would think. This allowed me to advance the Lyra flirt subplot in a more natural way. Funny thing, I nearly had Lyra call Bon Bon "Sweet Flanks" instead of Bonnie. I think I was sugar high when I thought that.

-Because I've been trying to include Flitter more in the story so I don't forget her, I wrote in a scene to follow up on the subplot I've created. The part that i'm trying to show is that despite Seth's cynicism, his reasoning for being rude to ponies should be solid. In the original, it was more like he was rude just for the sake of it. So when he rebuffs Flitter, it's cruel, but you can somewhat see his reasoning. Something else people pointed out is that the ponies pretty much took his rudeness without a word, so I've been having them try to react more realistically to him. In other words, in Flitter's case, if you were in her shoes and somebody was telling you you had no right to be upset, I'd imagine that'd only make you more upset.

-I adjusted the meeting between Seth and Dash. Instead of Rainbow just saying two lines before Twilight takes her away, she refused to listen to Seth's reasons, instead focusing on the fact that her friends were being hurt and that Seth not only didn't care, but believed he was in the right. To someone as loyal as her, that would infuriate her. Thus, this is what triggered Rainbow to threaten Seth with physical violence. At that point, Twilight was there to take her away.

-I added a whole new scene between Twilight and Dash. It was a huge cop out in the original that their talk happened off screen, so readers would have been confused when Dash came back not wanting to kill him. So I switched perspectives. Shocking, right? Usually this is Seth's story, but as a commenter once mentioned, a lot goes on offscreen that readers might want to see. So I may be adding more scenes from different perspectives later.

-Derpy's meeting with Seth has been revamped. I just...I can't believe the me that wrote this story forever ago. "I won't be like other stories! No fanon!" Yet not only did I lead Lyra with the human obsession, I also had Derpy's initial meeting open with the fandom attributed muffin obsession. ADDITIONALLY, I even subscribed to the whole Dinky is Derpy's daughter thing. The hell was wrong with me? So I adjusted the scene to show Seth's interest in music, as well as his ability to have a simple conversation with a pony without snapping at them. That way, Derpy managed to directly tie Rainbow back into the scene by showing her a contrasting view of Seth.

-The Rainbow dance scene. Thanks to the Derpy scene, I was able to get the two of them into a conversation that gradually led to the dance, rather than it just coming out of nowhere. I wanted it to seem as though Seth was so strongly reminded of Amaryllis that he was drawn into a dance as though he were in a trance. Then, once he realized what he was doing, he left, and his frustration at giving in like that was taken out on Rainbow.

-The Rarity scene was adjusted to be more natural. Rarity noticed how cold Seth was, and tried to help in her own way, only to get insulted. This allows me to keep the outcome where Rarity is negatively predisposed towards Seth in the future.

-I fleshed out the argument between Vinyl, Twilight, and Seth to be much more believable. Applejack was no longer involved, and Vinyl was the one who came up with the idea in the first place. Also, the rent was adjusted to weekly instead of daily. It would have been monthly, but Vinyl knows Seth is leaving soon now. Naturally this'll create some future inconsistencies, but they should be mostly ignorable until I get around to fixing them.

-the last most simple change is that I changed the title of the chapter. "Never a Tool to be Used?" Whose idea was that? Oh right, mine. :facehoof: Seriously, I'm surprised nobody called me out on such a stupid chapter title.

That's about all I have to say about this one. Please do me a favor and comment on the rewritten chapter. Even the smallest bit helps.


	8. A Trip to the Schoolhouse

A short time after dawn's first light creeps over the horizon, Vinyl knocks at my door loudly, waking me from my slumber. I lurch up into a sitting position, remnants of last night's unsettling dream still lingering in my mind. I can still see the fading image of my university juxtaposed with the decrepit and decaying remnant that it had become.

"I'm awake," I respond to Vinyl tiredly as the knock comes once again. She doesn't respond, but I do hear the sound of her hooves retreating in the hallway. I heave a sigh and attempt to rub the sleep out of my eyes. While sleeping in a bed is leagues more comfortable than shivering beneath the bridge, I don't feel nearly as rested as I'd hoped.

I climb out of bed and slap my cheeks sharply, the pain serving to help wake me up further. A quick glance around the room reminds me of the events that took place at last night's party. I let out a soft groan; I made a fool of myself by losing my temper not just once, but twice. I wish I'd have the sense to keep my cool, or at the very least, do a better job of avoiding the ponies at that party. I'll never get out of this blasted town if I can't even keep a level head.

The first thing I do is locate what's left of my clothes. Although my jeans had been washed by Zecora, they're wrinkled, stained with dirt, and smell faintly of sweat. That's without counting the rips and tears accumulated from the punishment I've taken since arriving in this era. I grab them and quickly dress, deciding that I don't need to bathe, as I'd done so the previous night. After taking a moment to tidy my hair as best I can, I pocket my wallet and phone, tie the bag of bits around my belt, and grab my rifle from the dresser. Once I've gathered everything, I make my way into the hallway.

I can already detect the odor of cooking food wafting up the stairwell. I can't tell exactly what Vinyl is making, but the scent of frying eggs is at least evident. I assume it'll become more clear once I descend the stairs into the kitchen.

Vinyl stands at the stove in the midst of the mess that is her kitchen. The stovetop as well as the countertops immediately surrounding her appear to have been recently cleaned, but everywhere else is just as cluttered as it had been the previous night. As for Vinyl herself...well, I think it's safe to say she's not a morning person in the slightest.

The mare is leaning on the counter, using her magic to telekinetically slide the pan beneath the eggs within as she slowly fries them. Her mane is a complete unbrushed mess, hanging limply on both sides of her neck, and her eyes are half-shut. When she notices my presence, she gives a faint grunt of acknowledgement.

"You're a sight. How often do you get up this early?" I question her curiously after a quick glance in the pan.

"Never," Vinyl groans, the mare looking as though she'll fall asleep where she stands. She shoots a glare towards a coffee machine that chugged softly in the corner of the room. "Why is the coffee not done yet!?"

"You can go back to sleep if you want. I _can_ cook," I point out. I choose to leave out the fact that I greatly dislike having to cook for myself.

"Nah, I already said I'd make breakfast," Vinyl returns. A moment later, the coffee machine beeped. Briefly setting down the pan, Vinyl snatches the coffee pot out of the machine and pours some of it directly into her mouth, despite the fact that it is probably scalding. Her eyes widen, and she then downs a glass of ice water equally quickly. "Hhhuah! I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"You seriously plan to get up at dawn every day, seven days a week, just to make breakfast for me? I don't intend to take days off," I remind her with a hint of incredulity in my voice. Vinyl blanches.

"Yeeah, maybe not _every_ morning," Vinyl reconsiders with a wince, earning a brief snort from me. She pours herself a more conventional cup of coffee, and then offers the pot to me. "Want some coffee? You'll probably need it."

"No, I don't drink caffeine." I decline her offer with a shake of my head. She looks at me skeptically, noting how my eyelids are also drooping.

"Suit yourself," Vinyl remarks with a shrug, setting the pot back on the counter. As much as a boost would be nice, I suspect that the cold will be a more effective pick up than any drug. Vinyl returns to the counter just in time to flip the eggs with a satisfying sizzle. Every so often, as she cooks, she gulps down her coffee. "It's gonna be pretty cold out there. You gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine. Farm work will keep me active," I return, my gaze falling to the table, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Her question reminds me that my first priority needs to be warmer clothes. It's cold enough here in Ponyville; I don't even want to imagine how cold it'll be in the north. I only know of one pony that for sure makes clothing, but I don't believe she can make human clothing. Nor do I think she'd want to, given how our previous meeting ended.

"I guess. I don't envy you though. Can I get you to take a scarf at least?" Vinyl asks as she finishes frying the eggs. She turns to see my reaction, only to be met with a very telling expression. Vinyl sighs and turns back to the pan. A couple of plates fly out of the cupboards with telekinesis, and before long, there are two plates of fried eggs and toast on the table. "That reminds me. I owe you a strap."

I scowl at that, but I don't stop her as she walks into the sitting room, where she starts rummaging through the mess. As she starts moving everything around and muttering to herself, I eat my breakfast, using the fork provided to me. The toast isn't anything special, but the eggs are pretty good. If I had to guess, they came from the farm.

After a short moment of throwing myriad objects about, Vinyl lifts up what appears to be a black electric guitar, though there aren't any inputs for the amplifier. She blinks at it, as though she hadn't expected to find it.

"She's probably gonna want this back," Vinyl commented, setting the instrument aside. It only took her a moment longer to find the strap of which she'd spoken. She returned to the table, floating the trap over to me. "Aha! I knew it was hiding in here somewhere."

"It only took you about five minutes," I comment wryly as I finish up the last of my meal. I grab the strap when it reaches me. A quick glance reveals it to be a simple black guitar strap, with holes on either end where it would be fastened to a guitar. I'm not certain how I'd affix it to my rifle.

"I really need to clean this room," Vinyl laments in response to my comment. She plops down on the seat across from me and starts to eat. "Take the strap to the boutique after you get off work. She's probably got some Liquid Rock laying around."

"'Liquid Rock?'" I echo, perplexed.

"Yeah, it's basically a really sweet glue that's like rock when you magic it," Vinyl explained. I raise an eyebrow. That sound suspiciously like super glue, but there must be more to it if there's magic involved. "Two dabs of that, and you won't have to lug your stick around with your hands anymore."

"I see. I'll get it taken care of," I reply curtly. I can't be carrying this around while I'm working, so I tie it around my waist like a belt. There's nothing more for me to do here, so I pick up my rifle and head for the door. Then I remember something important. "When are we going to make this housing contract official?"

"That's right, we still gotta do that," Vinyl looked as though she'd just remembered about it. She groans, covering her snout with a hoof. "Aw, I hope there're not a lot of hoops for us to jump through. You never know with the mayor."

"That doesn't bode well," I grumble, already not looking forward to it. "I already had a bad feeling about meeting her."

"What? Why? She's not that bad," Vinyl gives me a confused look. I think about explaining to her, but I decide against it. There's no doubt that she'd argue with my reasoning.

"Nevermind. I don't have time to talk about it anyway. I'm heading out," I dismiss with a sigh. I turn back towards the door and leave the house without another word, shutting the door firmly behind me.

I immediately wince and shiver as the cold air impacts my bare chest. The thought of enduring this for the time it would take me to get some warm clothes is enough to make me want to walk back inside. While I walk, I ponder about the cost of such clothing. All I know about the worth of bits is that one bit will buy me about ten apples, and that fifteen bits will get me a room at the bar for a night. I suppose that's one more thing to ask when I get to the boutique.

That name sounds familiar. I recall the overdressed pony at the party - Rarity, I think her name was - attempting to persuade me to visit her boutique for free clothing. I scowl somewhat, remembering how our first meeting had gone. While free clothing would be nice, an offer like that is too good to be true. This goes especially for someone like Rarity; judging by that dress she wore, she's rather well off.

I cut through the side roads as often as possible, avoiding the square in my attempt to avoid ponies as much as possible. Thankfully, it's very early, and very few are out and about. Due to this, I make my way to the farm unhindered.

It appears Applejack is already getting ready for the day's work. I find her at the front of the barn, a cart set before her filled with all manner of foodstuffs. There are apples in barrels, freshly wrapped pies, and other pastries that I can't quite make out. Beside her is Big MacIntosh, the larger stallion strapped into a second cart filled with empty apple baskets.

Also with the two of them is the young filly, Apple Bloom. Unlike the last time I saw her, she's now wearing a pair of saddlebags hanging down either side of her flank, each packed with books and notebooks. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she's likely about to leave for school.

"Morning, Seth!" Applejack calls to me with a tip of her hat and a bright smile when she spots my approach. Apple Bloom also calls to me, and even Big MacIntosh gives me a terse greeting when I reach them. I choose not to respond to any of them with anything other than a wordless nod. "You ready to get to work?"

"As I'll ever be. Will I be working with Big MacIntosh with the apple trees, like I did yesterday with you?" I respond politely, dreading the hard work that was soon to follow.

"Maybe later, but now, I actually got something different for you to do," Applejack decides. She indicates her younger sister with a slight hoof motion. "Would you mind terribly taking Apple Bloom to school?"

I raise an eyebrow at the rather odd request, suppressing the sigh that threatens to emerge. The last thing I want to do is spend time with a kid; I find them more intolerable than adults at times.

"Wait what?" Even Apple Bloom seems surprised by this, her confused gaze switching between her sister and me.

"I suppose I can, but isn't she old enough to get to school on her own?" I ask, doing my best to hide my annoyance.

"Yeah, I ain't a baby! It ain't that far from here to school!" Apple Bloom protests, the filly readily taking my side. Unfortunately it doesn't make a difference in the end.

"I ain't taking any chances. Other than Fluttershy, we're the closest to the Everfree," Applejack expresses. I glance over to the fringes of the Everfree far in the distance. It's quite a distance from here...a fact that Apple Bloom knows well; she immediately protests that logic. "No buts, Apple Bloom. Besides, there's another reason I'm sending him with you."

"And that would be?" I prompt her expectantly, already accepting the unpleasant task to come.

"I got a few deliveries for miss Cheerilee, the schoolteacher. She was at the party last night. Have you met her yet?" Applejack reveals. I search my memory, and then shake my head. "She's a nice enough sort. I think you'll like her."

A rather bitter retort comes to mind concerning my experiences with teachers, but I choose not to voice it. Looking at the bright side, I'm getting out of heavy labor for roughly an hour, counting the walk there and back. Choosing not to comment on her last statement, I nod.

"Okay. I can do that. Which of these packages am I bringing to her?" My acceptance of the task earns a satisfied smile from Applejack and a sigh from Apple Bloom. Applejack takes a few moments to fish out the food, using her mouth and forehoof to collect them all. "Do you often deliver to the school?"

"Every now and then. Sometimes Cheerilee likes to give out some of Granny's cooking to all them foals for lunch. Usually I go deliver them myself, but…" Applejack looks rather pleased with herself. "Now I don't have to. Thanks for doing this."

"It's my job," I say simply, taking the packages from her, carefully avoiding wherever Applejack's mouth touched. There's quite a few of them. Between the rifle and the stack of pastries, my hands are thoroughly full. Despite this, it's nothing I can't handle. I glance down at Apple Bloom, briefly meeting her gaze. "Let's go."

"Have a good day at school!" Applejack calls after Apple Bloom and I as the two of us walk back towards the entrance of the school.

A silence falls between the two of us once we're out of earshot of the two older ponies. Apart from our initial meeting, the two of us have never been alone together, and it's about as awkward as one would expect. She switches between looking around at her surroundings, and looking shyly at me. Eventually, she works up the courage to talk to me.

"Um...Mr. Seth, I…" Apple Bloom begins.

"I don't know the way to your school," I cut across her, pretending as though I didn't hear her. I'm worried about being alone with her, purely because I know that I can't handle kids very well. These ponies appear to be like humans in the way that they think, speak, and act, so it stands to reason that I'll have the same problems with them as I did with humans. "I'll need you to direct me."

"Oh, the schoolhouse? It ain't hard to find, I can show you," Apple Bloom responded readily, only surprised for a moment by my interruption. "Maybe I can show you around Ponyville too?"

"I'll pass. You'll be late for school if you do that." Unfortunately, that's little more than a guess; I don't know for sure when school begins for her. "Besides, your sister isn't paying me to walk around town idly."

"I guess so," Apple Bloom concedes.

The silence falls between us again, persisting until we reach Ponyville proper. I suppress a groan at the sight of the town waking up for the day. Although I was able to avoid them on the way out, it seems I won't be so lucky this time.

With Apple Bloom giving me small directions here and there, I follow the streets, doing my best to ignore the attention I'm garnering just by walking. To avoid losing my patience, I take in my surroundings as I walk, attempting to memorize their features in case I need to find my way to the schoolhouse later. All in all, it's turning out to be a rather uneventful walk.

"Apple Bloom! Wait up!" A high-pitched voice squeaks after us. Without slowing my pace, I turn my head to see a second filly about the same age as Apple Bloom cantering towards us. She's a unicorn with a soft white coat and a head covered with pink and lavender curls. Like Apple Bloom, there's no cutie mark on her flank. She inevitably notices me and skids to a stop beside Apple Bloom, kicking up dust in the process. "Whoa! Uh...hi! I saw you at the party!"

"Don't mind me. Talk to your friend," I say with a sigh, recognizing the filly for what she was. Due to her age and familiarity with Apple Bloom, I'd say that she's one of her classmates. I set my rifle aside and take a moment to brush the dust off of my jeans. "Remember we're on a time table."

"Good morning, Sweetie Belle!" After giving me an appreciative look, Apple Bloom greets her friend with a loving nuzzle. "This is Mr. Seth! He's taking me to school today instead of my sis."

The two of them start to catch up with one another, and through their conversation I confirm my previous assumption about their relationship. It also quickly becomes clear that the unicorn, Sweetie Belle, isn't quite by herself either; she's walking with her older sister, with whom I'm already acquainted.

"Good morning. Seth, was it?" Rarity greets me, the older unicorn catching up to her sister at her own pace. Her words are clipped and her expression is completely neutral; it's clear to me that she hasn't forgotten our previous altercation.

"Rarity," I respond with a slight nod, keeping my voice clear of any inflection. Unlike last night, Rarity isn't wearing any clothing, but her mane is just as meticulously styled as before. I note that her cutie mark, which I'm only now getting to see, is a set of three bluish diamonds. The meaning of such a mark isn't readily apparent to me at first glance. "Taking your sister to school?"

"That's quite right," Rarity answers. Her tone is polite, but I can't deny the tension I feel between us. She seems every bit like the kind of woman who would take what I said then personally and hold it against me. Even though I know this, she carefully doesn't let her face betray any positive or negative feelings. "Speaking of which, Sweetie Belle, we shouldn't dally. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"

"No, miss Cheerilee would get mad at us. C'mon, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle beckons to her friend with a small hoof, and the two of them continue their conversation from before as they continue walking down the street. I can hear my name come up in their conversation, but it's nothing more than Sweetie Belle's curiosity.

The two of them walking together ultimately means that I'm forced to walk beside Rarity, the silence making me wish I could leave Apple Bloom with them and make a hasty retreat. If I didn't have deliveries to make to the school, Applejack likely wouldn't have minded. I suppose letting Apple Bloom make the deliveries is an option, but its not a feasible one; there are too many of these for her to carry by herself.

"Pardon me for asking, but I can't help but notice that you're walking with Apple Bloom." Rarity deigned to break the silence between us herself. It seems that Sweetie Belle isn't the only one curious. Her eyes fall to the packages I'm carrying. "Are you by chance, working with Applejack?"

"That's right. I'm making deliveries to the school. It was more convenient for her if I walked with Apple Bloom in the process," I reply with just enough information to assuage her curiosity. When I look at Rarity, I see her eyeing me with a guarded expression.

"I imagine it's hard work. Do you like it there?" Rarity continues conversationally. Despite my expectations, I can't find a trace of bitterness in her tone.

"Depends on what you mean by 'like.' Are you asking if I enjoy working there?" There's no getting out of this conversation, as we're going the same direction. I'd rather avoid another argument, so I carefully watch my words.

"I don't understand. Is there another meaning?" Rarity presses, one eyebrow rising almost imperceptibly.

"In my mind, there is. I'm doing what I have to. It's necessary. There's no enjoyment to be had in manual labor," I explain shortly. I regret saying that almost immediately, noting how Apple Bloom slightly turns her head toward me. She's still talking with Sweetie Belle, but I have to be doubly careful what I say. I don't want her going to Applejack if I say something too negative.

"I couldn't agree more. It's strenuous and difficult, and you feel so filthy afterward," Rarity surprisingly concurs with my statement, brushing her coat with a hoof as if to brush away nonexistent dirt. "What about Applejack herself? Do you like working with her?"

"Why do you ask?" I reply carefully, watching Rarity closely. Her expression betrays nothing of what she's thinking.

"Just making conversation," she answers with a small smile. I exhale with some frustration. It's impossible to read her, and I'm getting impatient. "There's still some ways yet to go."

"That's true, but considering the results of our last conversation, I'd think that I'd be the last person you'd want to talk to," I retort, deciding to be direct. This back and forth between us has grown tiresome. Rarity's expression finally changes into one of concern, her eyes widening slightly.

"Oh, you're referring to the party? No no, I must apologize for my behavior that night." Rarity's words nearly cause me to drop the packages I'm carrying. She struck me as the prissy type who would be full of herself, but she's _apologizing?_ "I didn't take into account your feelings at all; no doubt there'd be some cultural differences between us."

"That's not quite it, but...it's close enough." I don't really know how to respond. In just a few short seconds, the image of her that I'd built up in my head no longer seemed to fit. I don't get it. I was rather rude to her last night; she'd have every right to hold that against me. "That's...rather surprising."

"What is?" Rarity prompts.

"It's nothing. Just thinking aloud," I hastily recover, shifting my grip to keep a hold of both my rifle and the packages. "To answer your question, Applejack's not a bad taskmaster. At the very least, she respects my boundaries."

"Glad to hear it. I couldn't do what she does." Rarity shudders a bit just thinking about it.

" _I_ can barely do what she does," I mutter under my breath. A chill breeze brushes against my skin, causing goosebumps to form on my chest and arms. "You said you work at the boutique?"

"Why, yes! The Carousel Boutique, to be specific," Rarity lit up at the question, the mare seeming happy to talk about her workplace. "It's less of 'where I work' and more 'where I live.'"

"I'll be dropping by after work, if you're not doing anything else. I have something I'd like you to take care of." I decide to give her some prior warning about my upcoming visit. Rarity looked rather pleased at that, her smile growing.

"But of course! I am in between major orders, so I'll have the time. Are you coming for clothes? It's getting colder, and without fur to keep warm, you'll be miserable," Rarity responds, her excitement visibly growing. "Ooh, I can already think of a few designs that would look simply marvelous on you! A lot of colors go with black, and although green is more difficult to work with, I'm confident that I can…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I cut her off sharply before she can get too enthusiastic. "I will need warmer clothes eventually, but I'm not there yet. I need something simpler and hopefully cheaper."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry for getting excited. I just think about all the designs I could try and get positively giddy," Rarity looks a little annoyed at getting interrupted, but she doesn't say anything further about it. She looks forward, slowing her pace. "Well, I do believe we're here!"

I turn my gaze forward as well, where I get my first look at the schoolhouse. I blink. I'm not sure what I expected when I heard 'schoolhouse,' but I didn't expect a design this archaic. The structure ahead appeared to be something right out of the 1960s; it was a simple pentagonal building with a single room and a belltower just above the door, a lone brass bell hanging at its top. The walls were a bright red and were decorated with a heart motif around the tops of its tall windows and lining the white fringes of the scaled roof. The front porch consisted of a small set of steps and two white pillars supporting an overhang.

Juxtaposed with the schoolhouse is a minimalistic fenced-in playground containing a slide, a set of swings, and an odd contraption consisting of a pair of rubber balls attached to two separate ropes. In this playground is an assortment of foals, both male and female, their colorful coats a stark contrast to surrounding field. I'm guessing they arrived here before us, and are waiting for school to start.

"How quaint," I observe. It's hard for me to imagine what going to school in a place like that would be like; human schools are much larger. I'm guessing I'll soon see what the inside looks like as well, because I don't see many adult ponies.

"Perhaps, but charmingly so," Rarity agrees with a dip of her head. She leans down to nuzzle Sweetie Belle. "Have a good day at school, darling!"

"We will! Bye, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle promises. The smaller white filly trots towards the field, beckoning to Apple Bloom. "C'mon, let's go find Scootaloo!"

"Just a sec." Apple Bloom turned to face me. "Thanks for walking me to school, Mr. Seth."

"Just Seth is fine. Don't mention it; I'm just doing my job," I respond coolly in an attempt to remain aloof. I look beside me, noticing that Rarity is starting to leave.

"Will you be walking back in this direction?" Rarity asked. I don't miss the unspoken invitation to walk with her.

"I'm going inside, so if you're leaving, go on ahead. I'll see you later this evening," I reply, turning away from her. Rarity nods, and it isn't long before she's out of sight. I sigh and follow Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle towards the schoolhouse. I suppose that didn't go nearly as poorly as I'd expected it would. I can't believe that she doesn't hold anything against me for last night, however.

I suddenly hear another filly with a boyish voice calling out to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. From among the throng of foals emerges an orange pegasus with a scruffy purple mane. I squint a bit, finding the color combination somewhat difficult at which to look.

"Hey crusaders! I just had the best idea of what to…" the third filly refers to the other two somewhat strangely, but she immediately cuts off when she spots me. I mentally prepare myself even as her eyes widen. "Whoa, what is that!? Is that the human thing everyone's talking about?"

"That's Mr…" Apple Bloom begins.

"My name is Seth, and I don't appreciate being talked about like I'm not here," I snap somewhat irritably at the filly, causing her to jump. Unfortunately, the filly's words were loud enough to get the attention of some of the other foals, who begin to stare at me without even bothering to hide their interest. I sigh and move past the fillies. "If you'll excuse me, I have a delivery to make."

"Wait up! I'm sorry, alright? It's just we were all told there were no humans anymore!" the filly rushes to catch up with me, much to my annoyance. "So the fact you're here is kinda cool!"

"So I've been told. Frankly, I don't see it," I retort with a hint of self-deprecation in my voice. She doesn't seem like she's going to leave me alone, so I decide to risk being a little cold. "Go play with your friends. They at least, appear to welcome your presence."

"What? I just wanted to ask a few questions. You don't need to be mean about it," the filly protests hotly, her nose wrinkling up.

"I'd suggest you save your breath. If you think I'm mean, that's okay. Making friends is hardly my priority," I recommend to her. While my intention was to stave her off, my words have the opposite effect, only making the filly angry.

"Seriously? What kind of jerk…?" the filly begins, but fortunately Apple Bloom steps in, pulling her aside. "Apple Bloom, what…?"

"Scootaloo, We don't need to be fighting. He's working for my sis, so we shouldn't hold him up," Apple Bloom explains. I don't hear the rest of their conversation, as I've already reached the the front steps of the schoolhouse, leaving them behind in the process.

I open the door and step inside, making sure to duck beneath the low door frame. The glossy wooden floor creaks beneath my feet with every step, causing me to question the age of the structure. As for the rest of the interior, it certainly looks like what I'd expect from a classroom in a building like this. There are several rows of desks accompanied by small stools, and at the front and center of the room is a podium, behind of which is a large chalkboard.

"Oh? Welcome, visitor!" a mature woman's voice calls to me once I've stepped inside. I spot an adult fuschia-colored mare sitting on her haunches behind a wooden desk, atop of which are multiple folders and writing utensils organized neatly into rows. Her mane is two shades of pink, and rests atop her head in neatly tended curls. For a cutie mark, she has three blooming flowers, each one smiling brightly. Like Rarity's, I'm assuming that the meaning is symbolic rather than literal. She hardly even blinks at my appearance. "I remember seeing you at the party; I was hoping to talk to you myself."

"Is there anyone who hasn't heard of me?" I grumble a bit to myself as I approach her. I gently lower the packages of food atop the desk and straighten back up, relieved of the rather bulky burden. "I'm guessing you're Cheerilee?"

"That's right! I'm the one and only teacher here!" Cheerilee stands up and walks around the desk to approach me, her hoof stretching out as a greeting. I accept her hoof after a moment's hesitation; as long as I'm on the clock, I'd best keep my attitude professional. She shakes my hand gently and briefly before releasing it. "You must be Seth. I see you brought my packages from the farm."

"That's right. I'm working for Applejack right now. How do you know my name?" I ask curiously. It makes sense that news of my existence must have spread around the town, but I didn't think even my name would be included in that.

"You being in this town is a big deal. I'm sure you've heard, but a lot of our architecture and technology is based on the lost human civilization. It shouldn't come as a surprise that ponies would be talking about you," Cheerilee explained, confirming my earlier supposition. This means I shouldn't be so surprised that ponies will know who I am. "I'd love to talk with you more, but no doubt Applejack will want you back, and I do have to get class started. Thank you for delivering these to me!"

"Not at all. If you'll excuse me," I dip my head and retreat from the desk, my task complete.

"Before you go, I don't suppose I could could convince you to speak for my class at some point as a special presentation?" Cheerilee calls after me. I pause, glancing back at her. "I'll be going over what we know of human history in the future, and I think seeing a live human would really drive my lesson home."

I consider the offer. As distasteful as I find both children and public speaking, her reasoning is sound, and I could possibly negotiate some bits out of it if I pressed hard enough. That being said, I'm uncertain where in her curriculum human history would fall. Considering I won't be staying long in Ponyville, I'm not sure the opportunity would arise in time for it to be of use to me.

"I'll think about it," is the best I can give her. There's no use thinking about it now. "If you have further details later on, I'll listen when I'm not working."

"That's wonderful!" Despite my ambiguous answer, Cheerilee puts on a bright smile. She moves towards the door along with me, no doubt getting ready to gather all the students. "I'll make sure to keep you posted. I'll see you later, Seth."

"No doubt."

My job here done, I move past Cheerilee and head back towards the main road. In the process, I notice that my path will cross Apple Bloom and her two friends, who appear to be in the midst of an argument with two other students. I can't help but overhear as I approach.

"You take that back!" Scootaloo snaps.

"Yeah, there ain't nothing wrong with the farm!" Apple Bloom shoots back.

"Please, we all know that he chose _you_ out of ignorance," one of the two unfamiliar students returns with an irritating air of smugness about her. This one is a filly with a coat of a soft pink and a lavender mane stripped with white. On her head is an expensive looking tiara encrusted with clear gems, and on her flank is a cutie mark identical to the tiara.

"I agree, such work is demeaning, especially to someone like him!" the other student, which is also a filly, concurs. This one is colored a delicate silver, with her mane and tail being an even lighter shade of gray. Additionally, she's wearing a set of bright blue glasses and a necklace made of pearls. She turns and her mouth slightly opens as she catches sight of me. "In fact, Diamond, why don't you ask him?"

"Wait, no! He's…!" Apple Bloom attempts to warn them. It suddenly dawns on me that their argument involved me in some form or fashion.

"What an excellent idea!" Diamond exclaims as she spots me as well. She steps out in front of me, clearly intending to speak with me. I'm forced to come to a halt to avoid tripping over her, an annoyed sigh escaping me. "Excuse me! Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"I'd rather you didn't. I need to get back to work," I protest, but this only serves to encourage the innocently smiling filly.

"That's convenient! I was actually wanting to talk to you about that!" Diamond revealed. "I'm Diamond Tiara, and this is Silver Spoon. We've learned that you're working on the _farm_ of all places."

"I am. What's my work have to do with you? What do _I_ have to do with you for that matter?" I grit out. These two rub me the wrong way, and I've barely spoken with them for more than a few moments. I can tell from their attitudes and their attire that they're rather wealthy, and their tone suggests a healthy disdain for both these three fillies and the concept of farmwork.

"Don't you think it's such a waste for a human such as yourself to work there?" Diamond asks in a voice that reminds me of a salesman attempting to sell their product. "Why not work for my daddy and his company? Being a human and all, I bet he'd take you on immediately. You wouldn't have to get all dirty, and we'd certainly pay you a lot more."

"Yeah, and you wouldn't have to hang around with _those_ losers anymore," Silver Spoon adds.

"But...Seth…" Apple Bloom pleads weakly.

"Don't listen to them! They're…" Scootaloo interjects.

"Quiet. I can make my own decisions," I cut across them firmly. I realize that these two rich fillies are serious, judging from the way that they're looking at me. I don't doubt that Diamond Tiara is telling the truth; if I was willing to use my status as a human, I could likely land the job she's talking about. The option of earning more money does appeal to me as well. Yet, there are two problems with her offer.

"Thanks, but I'm fine where I am." My refusal causes Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's jaws to drop in surprise; they must have genuinely believed their offer to be the better one. "I gave my word to Applejack that I would be working until the harvest ended. I don't make a habit of lying."

Apple Bloom looks at me with wide eyes, surprise evident in her expression as well. A look of relief passes over her, and she gives me an appreciative smile. As for the two rich fillies…

"But...how could you turn us down? Why should a human be forced to do simple _farmwork?!_ They can't possibly afford to pay you as much as we can!" Diamond Tiara demands in shock. "Who cares about your word? Everything would be so much better for you if you worked for my daddy!"

"The answer is still no." Despite my repeated refusals, I feel a pit forming in my stomach. I believe wholeheartedly in my decision, but the opportunity she's offering may well be a good one; I'd be able to leave much sooner. That being said...if her family is anything like Diamond, I absolutely will _not_ work for them. Not even if they were to offer me all the bits in the world. "If you'll excuse me."

I turn and continue on my way out of the schoolyard. Yet, it doesn't seem like Diamond is willing to let this go. The filly takes one look at the snickering Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and her face contorts with rage.

"Don't think I'll forget this insult! When my daddy hears about this, you bet your tail he'll make you regret it!" Diamond calls scathingly after me. Her word choice causes me to freeze in place. Her tone of voice and her threats...a sense of deja vu comes over me. A rush of anger overtakes me; I've met people like her before…

"Is that right?" I turn my head, gazing at her from the corner of one eye. My tone is low and dangerously soft. Diamond's eyes widen at the sudden change in my demeanor, and she takes a step back when I storm back towards her. "Let me just tell you a little something, brat. I'm not half as stupid as you think I am. It's obvious that all you want is to be able to say that the world's only human is working for your dad's company."

"That's…" Diamond stammers, but I don't let her finish.

"While that would no doubt be beneficial for your company image, there's no way in _hell_ I'd work for people like you. You talk down to people, you don't respect my word, and then you dare to threaten me?" I continue, coming to a stop just in front of her. I kneel down until I'm at eye level with her, the filly visibly quailing before my intense gaze. "Go ahead, tell your father. You'll quickly find out that not everything will go your way simply because you cry."

Without another word, I straighten back up and at last start on the return trip to the farm, all five of the fillies watching me as I go.

On the upper level of the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight sits before a small table, upon which a piece of parchment and a half-filled inkwell rests. The quill with which she intends to write floats noiselessly in the air just in front of her muzzle, where she aimlessly sucks on the tip. Littered on the floor around her are several stacks of books, some of them open. Where there aren't books are multiple crumpled up wads of parchment, each one containing failed attempts to write what she had thought was going to be a simple letter.

"Are you still at it?" Spike emerges from the doorway leading to the lower level, carrying two cups filled to the brim with water. Twilight doesn't answer, instead focusing on the slew of possible ways she can end this letter. She only notices Spike's presence when he sets down one of the cups on the table beside her letter. "Twilight, you've been at this practically all day. You should take a break."

"Oh, thanks," Twilight turns to look at him with a sheepish smile, spitting out the quill. She places it neatly on the table and drinks from the cup, finding its contents to be pleasantly cold. She heaves a sigh, replacing the cup. "I can't, Spike. I'm in the midst of what could be my hardest friendship lesson yet. Nothing in my notes even comes close to this kind of problem."

"I know, that's why you've been talking to the princess about it, right?" Spike restates. "You two still haven't been able to figure it out?"

"The princess is giving me very good advice, but I don't think it applies here. All of her advice assumes that he innately _wants_ to make friends, when he's stated repeatedly that he doesn't. Seth is a human; for all I know, he could be emotionally wired differently from the rest of us," Twilight explains to her assistant.

"Why don't you tell her that?" Spike sensibly suggests.

"I am now. I don't think there's any other choice here. I want to respect Seth's privacy, but I want to help him, and I can't do that without help," Twilight responds in a resigned voice. She dips the quill into the inkwell and returns it to the parchment, neatly transcribing the remainder of her letter to the princess. "I hope he won't be too angry with me."

"Well, he doesn't need to find out," Spike remarks uncomfortably. "You saw him at the party. I don't want you to deal with that again."

"Aw, thanks," Twilight kisses the little dragon's head briefly before returning to the letter. She at last finishes the last line. With a quick signature, she rolls up the parchment and seals it, and then she floats it over to Spike, who obediently engulfs it in a gout of magical flame. "I really hope I didn't just make a big mistake."

* * *

That very same letter, a few seconds later, materialized out of the air in front of a certain solar princess, who caught it in her magical grip instinctively. The large white mare with her multicolored, flowing mane, had been walking through the lavishly decorated hallways of her castle on her way to her next appointment.

She slowly unrolled the parchment, her face taking on a concerned expression. This would mark the fifth letter Twilight had sent her on this subject; she is a bright student, so her seeming inability to grasp her advice made little sense to the Diarch...unless Twilight was hiding something from her.

"Princess Celestia?" One of the guards that had been tasked to accompany her prompted her curiously, wondering why she is suddenly standing still. Celestia didn't answer, the princess focusing on reading the letter in front of her.

Her suspicions are soon confirmed; there was indeed something that Twilight had kept from her. Her eyes widened with shock. She blinked several times, just in case she had misread Twilight's letter. Yet, it had been no mistake. Twilight's letter reveals more about her problematic friend, including his species: human.

"I have new orders for the two of you," Celestia suddenly spoke, addressing the two guards that flanked her on either side. "Heed them well."

"We are at your disposal, your Highness," the guards chorused in unison.

"Firm Defense, run ahead to my former destination. Let the good duke know that I must unfortunately push back our meeting to a later date," Celestia orders, and the named guard saluted and ran in the indicated direction. She turned to the other. "As for you, wake my sister and tell her to meet me in my chambers."

"What should I tell her?" the guard asks, unable to hide his curiosity.

"Tell her… our precursors aren't quite as extinct as we believed." Celestia turned away from him, walking purposely in the opposite direction. Her expression was stern, her lips set into a firm line. Her next words were spoken in a whisper such that only she could hear. "This evening just got a lot more interesting."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello again readers! After finishing a Wilting Flower, I've at last returned to rewriting this story. For the sake of simplicity, I chose to upload this chapter alongside the original chapter 8, as the inconsistencies this one introduces prove to be more than one can simply ignore.

 **The Changelist:**

-The whole back and forth with Vinyl and Seth over breakfast was removed, where he was a total dick to her. Also, it was an inconsistency with Vinyl's agreement with Seth in the new chapter 7, where the meals were included in his pay. I also included a few references to her knowledge of Liquid Rock.

-Removed the unnecessarily creepy scene with Carrot Top.

-Altered his interaction with the Apple Family. There was no reason for Seth to get angry with taking Apple Bloom to school, especially when he was getting paid for it. It would be easier than lifting, that's for sure. But no, Seth had to be a spoiled brat and get angry. Speaking of which, this also leads to a huge change...

-Cut the scene with Apple Bloom riding on Seth's shoulders. As cute as the image was and as much as I loved that scene, it made no sense. Seth had no reason to get angry with Apple Bloom, thus she never got depressed and needed cheering up. It was also completely OOC for Seth as he was then to bother cheering her up at all. Therefore, the scene had to get cut.

-to replace the Apple Bloom scene, I elongated the scene with Rarity and made it a normal conversation that challenged Seth's preconceptions of her (you know, instead of him threatening to eat Sweetie Belle like the edgy OC he was).

-Reworked the scene with Cheerilee so that he was delivering to her, and didn't need to be coerced into meeting her.

-Reworked the scene with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to be something more related to her family. DT is still a brat, but I'd like her bratty nature to at least make sense. "I'm important so talk to me random human that I've no reason to care about or I'll tell my daddy!" to "why the heck is one of our precursors working for the farm when he could work for us, and get more the triple the pay?" This allowed me to hint towards Seth's blowup later, and develop his character to show his underlying morals.

-And in what's possibly the biggest change, I cut Seth's rant at Pinkie. And this is why I chose to keep the original chapter 8 uploaded. I know full well the ramifications of cutting this scene. If Seth never gets mad at Pinkie, she never gets depressed. If Pinkie never gets depressed, Twilight never gets mad at Seth. If Twilight doesn't get mad at Seth, their relationship doesn't sour nearly irreparably. Which will change the entire tone of their interactions in the future. So yeah, expect to see a huge change in the flow of the story.

As for why I cut this scene, it's because given the characterizations of Seth and Pinkie so far, it didn't make sense. Since Seth never carried Apple Bloom, Pinkie never got the hare-brained idea to try riding him too. Furthermore, Pinkie wouldn't do something that crazy to Seth, as she knows full well (from what she heard from Rainbow Dash and a few others) that Seth is very ornery, and that she can't just approach him the same way she does everyone else. EVEN FURTHER, this new Seth wouldn't dare lose his cool with her. After hearing how everyone knows and loves her, it would be a damned fool thing to do to lose his temper with her. For all he knew, he'd get driven out of town.

-Lastly, I added a scene with Twilight and Celestia at the end, to further the plot point I made in chapter 7, where Twilight resolved to ask Celestia for help on how to deal with Seth. This scene has Twilight spilling to Celestia that Seth is a human, but doesn't quite mention Sombra just yet. Even so, this is enough to perk their ears.

That about covers the major changes in the chapter!

ScootalooFTW is currently going through some RL trouble, so Insidiaphilia has kindly stepped up to take his place for this chapter! Please join me in thanking both him and Brave-Hooves for editing this chapter, and also in wishing ScootalooFTW a swift recovery. And once again, please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

If you want to talk with me more personally, come join my Discord group! Find me at darkterraform #4122!


	9. An Evening in Ponyville

Without the presence of Rarity and the fillies beside me to distract me, it's difficult not to recall the fact that I'm still an oddity to these ponies. It's a small town and word travels fast, but I've only stayed here two nights. That's not nearly enough time for everyone to get used to me. Conversely, it's not nearly enough time for me to get used to them.

It feels like I'm walking through a realistic scaled down movie set;as though the world has shrunk by about twenty five percent. Between the smaller buildings and the ponies themselves, who on average barely come up to my chest, I feel very out of place. I chuckle dryly to myself; when it comes down to it, not much has changed between now and the past.

As I'm retracing my steps back to the farm, I soon become aware of a pony keeping pace with me on my left side. A sinking feeling forms in my gut when I recognize that particular shade of pink. I can only hope that she's not intending to…

"Good morning, Seth!" Pinkie's high pitched greeting cuts through the air, rendering my fervent internal praying an exercise in futility. I turn my head to gaze at her, but find that to be an annoyance as well. Unlike the other ponies in the streets, she's not content to walk normally. Instead, she bounces along beside me as she usually does, such that keeping eye contact with her is extremely difficult.

"Pinkie," is my brief yet succinct response. I don't say anything further; I'd rather not encourage a conversation with her.

"I haven't seen you since the party! What's it like living with Scratchie? Do you know how jealous some of her admirers are right now?" I suppress a sigh as Pinkie starts to fire rapid fire questions at me. No doubt this is what she considers to be a normal conversation. More importantly, word travels _fast._ I'd only started living with Vinyl last night, and her fans already know? I realize a moment later that Pinkie is looking at me expectantly; those questions weren't rhetorical, it seems.

"I couldn't care less what her fans think. Besides, it's only been one night," I point out to her. "I was too exhausted to do anything other than go straight to sleep."

"Well, my parties are energetic, so I can't blame you, especially if you had fun dancing! Nice moves by the way!" Pinkie's words remind me painfully of the party last night, along with Rainbow Dash and my moment of weakness. The same anger I felt that night rises from its slumber, burning in my subconscious like a hot flame. "I'm surprised it was Rainbow who got you out there! I thought you two were fighting!"

"We were. We _are._ I mean… can you please stop prying? I don't want to talk about _her_ ," I quickly get flustered at the way this conversation has gone. The more I think about my mistake, the guiltier and angrier I feel.

"Whoops! Sorry! I just got so curious because I know Lyra tried, but Rainbow was the one who...whoops, I'm doing it again, aren't I?" Pinkie just giggles at herself, her mood not dampened by me in the slightest. I rub my forehead, a headache starting to form. I can't fathom how anybody can handle this pony for more than a minute at a time. "Want a cookie?"

"Pardon?" I emit, so startled by the sudden change in topic that I momentarily forget my previous anger. I look over to see Pinkie produce a chocolate chip cookie like the ones she served at the party. I don't know where she got it from; I was staring at her the whole time, but her hoof moved in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, the cookie was balanced on the tip of her hoof… while she's continuing to bounce on three hooves. "Ah, no thanks."

"No?" Pinkie cocked her head at me. "Aww, I thought you liked these! You did eat over a half a plate, after all!"

"I…" I flush a bit, remembering that I _had_ eaten quite a few that night. "Okay, I'll admit they're good. But I shouldn't be spending money on idle pleasures."

"Who said anything about money? This isn't merchandise, silly!" Pinkie clicked her tongue as if she were chiding a small child. "It's leftover from last night! They're gonna go stale if no one eats them!"

"Then why don't you eat it?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. Pinkie giggles at that, rubbing her slightly distended belly with a hoof. It's rather impressive to see her doing that while continuing to bounce.

"I would, but I already ate twenty seven of them! So go on, take it! You're doing me and the cookie a favor!" Pinkie insists, once again extending the cookie to me.

"I suppose I can't argue with that logic," I remark, hesitantly accepting the cookie from her. Just before taking a bite, something about her statement causes me to do a double take. "Wait, you ate _how many?"_

"Somepony had to do it!" Pinkie didn't seem to grasp the fact that such a feat should be impossible for any normal individual. I glanced down at the cookie that I held, which was about as large as my hand in diameter. I can't even fathom eating twenty seven of these. Just then, we came up to a fork in the road, and we at last parted ways. "Gotta bounce! I'll see you later, Seth!"

Pinkie waves at me as we part - a gesture I don't bother to reciprocate. I look at the cookie again, wondering if it really was a good idea to accept this. I eventually shrug and take a bite. It's still as good as last night, though it does feel much firmer; I can believe that she'd want to get rid of the leftovers before they went stale.

As I exit the town onto the dirt road that leads to the farm, I become aware of a bright streak of rainbow soaring through the air high above me. It weaves in and out of the various cumulus clouds dotting the sky and executes various aerial maneuvers at a breakneck pace that I have difficulties keeping up with.

There's no doubt that I'm looking at Rainbow Dash. No other pony I've seen has a color scheme even close to hers. I admit to myself that what she's doing looks impressive; it seems her boasts weren't entirely without merit. That being said, I've no desire to meet with her; just looking at her stirs up unpleasant feelings, so I walk closer to the treeline.

The rest of my return trip unfolds uneventfully, and before long I'm standing with Big MacIntosh and Applejack in front of the barn. Next to the former is a bucket in which a pile of nails, a hammer, and few other assorted tools are gathered. The latter is once again strapped to the harvesting wagon.

"Hoo-ee! That storm really did a number on the farm! I've been picking up branches and debris all morning!" Applejack commented, wiping her brow with a hoof. She turns to me next. "Speaking of which, you ever done any construction work, Seth?"

"Can't say that I have," I answer, already dreading the work day to come. I'll be working significantly longer than yesterday; considering how beat I was then, it'll be even worse for me now. "I assume something broke?"

"That's right. The old tool shed was always a little rickety, but after that storm, poor thing just couldn't take it. It's still standing, but it's in bad shape. Big Mac was thinking of knocking the old one down and building a new one," Applejack explained. "I thought maybe you could help him out while I got back to the harvest."

"I thought the reason I was here was to help with the harvest," I ask, placing my hands in my pockets. I make sure to keep my tone from sounding combative; I don't want her to think I'm opposed to learning something new.

"You are! Usual I'd have to help Big Mac out with building the thing, but since you're here, I can get back to harvesting and you can do that for me!" Applejack happily explains. "That, and learning something new is never a bad thing!"

"I can't argue with that," I concede with a sigh. However, looking at the tools Big MacIntosh is bringing with him, there's still something that concerns me. "How are we going to knock it down? I imagine that being a tool shed, it would be rather large."

"Oh, I'm bringing in extra help. She's always down to help when I got something that needs smashing," Applejack answered, chuckling to herself as though she'd just told a joke. She then looks a little exasperated as she turns her eyes to the sky. When she next speaks, it's in a much louder voice. "Though she's got a slight problem with being on time!"

"Alright, alright, I hear you!" Just by the voice alone, I don't even need to ask who the mysterious tardy pony could be. My luck takes a sudden turn for the worse and Rainbow Dash comes streaking down to the ground in a flash. However, as she's landing, she overcompensates for her velocity and ends up tipping forward, skidding into the ground and showering Applejack with dirt. "Waaah!"

When Rainbow manages to get to her hooves, she grins apologetically at the dirt covered and very unamused looking Applejack. The farmer pony shakes the dirt from her mane and glares at the awkwardly chuckling Rainbow.

"Nice landing there, Dash," Applejack deadpans.

"Hehe, sorry! Anyway, you said you needed something smashed, so I'm here to…" Rainbow starts to say, but then she cuts off when she notices me for the first time, our eyes meeting. Her grin freezes on her face, and then slowly fades away. The two of us immediately avert our gazes. "H-Hey, Seth…"

"...Rainbow." I respond just as awkwardly, a million curses rushing through my head at this unforeseen complication in my day. I clench my hands into fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Applejack blinks, looking between the two of us with confusion. The sudden change in atmosphere is palpable even to her.

"Alright, hold up a sec," she sighs, and then takes me aside, the two of us going around the other side of the barn. Once we're safely out of earshot, she gives me a pointed look. "Just what in the hay is going on? I thought y'all two got along now?"

"No, _we don't,"_ I grit out, resting my back against the barn. I don't miss the look of concern that cross Applejack's face. If I don't play my cards right here, my image will take a hit in her eyes. I can't afford to lose this job just yet. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. "What happened at the party was a mistake."

"You seemed like you were having fun, though," Applejack insisted, looking even more perplexed than before. "Though I'll admit it seemed a little odd for you…"

"I'd really rather not talk about it," I assert firmly with a shake of my head. "If you're worried that her being here will affect my ability to do my job, I assure you that it won't."

"That's part of it, I suppose...I'm just confused more'n anything," Applejack expresses with a helpless shrug. She looks like she wants to ask me more questions, but thankfully decides otherwise. "Alright, I guess I won't pry. C'mon, let's get back to the others."

With that, the two of us walk back around the barn and rejoin Big MacIntosh and Rainbow Dash, the two of whom were waiting silently together for us.

"Shall we get moving?" I prompt Big MacIntosh, pointedly avoiding Rainbow's eyes. The larger stallion nods and picks up the bucket with his mouth. With a simple head gesture, he turns in the direction of the toolshed and leads the way at a steady pace.

"Y'all work hard! I'm out to the apple orchard!" Applejack calls after us, and with that, we go our separate ways and prepare to get to work.

The toolshed looks about as I'd expected. It's an old ramshackle structure that has certainly seen better days. The paint has long since faded and the shingles have been mostly stripped from the roof likely due to the storm from last night. One of the hinges on the door is broken, and the wood is rotting and splintered. I inwardly agree with Big MacIntosh; there's no saving this place. Rebuilding it from the ground up is the only thing I can think to do as well.

"Er...alright! Guess I'll start breaking stuff now!" Rainbow hesitantly breaks the silence that had fallen between the the three of us. She zips into the toolshed with an astonishing speed, and then I hear the sound of wood snapping, followed by a colossal crash. "...I meant to do that!"

While Rainbow proceeds with her demolition, I wait patiently beside Big MacIntosh. I notice the large stallion looking at me from out of the corner of my eye, so I turn slightly and meet his gaze. For a moment, I think he's going to ask me about Rainbow like Applejack did, but his next sentence waives those concerns.

"Come and stage the wood nearby," Big MacIntosh directs me simply, pointing me in the right direction with a slight jerk of his head. Relieved, I nod and move to do as I'm told. All the wood I assume we're going to be building with is stacked up against a fence a few dozen meters away from the old toolshed. "I'll be doing the building; you do the lifting."

His orders are short, simple, and direct; I have a basic idea of what I'm going to be doing just from that. I lean down and lift up one of the slabs of wood with some difficulty; it's just as heavy as I'd expected it to be. I grunt with exertion and wince as the slowly healing wound in my side reminds me of its presence.

As I'm lugging the first slab over to the shed, I take a look at the toolshed. Surprisingly enough, Rainbow is making quick work of it. The sounds of shattering wood and crashing beams echoes from within the shed for a few moments, and then the mare emerges,wheels around in midair, and deals the roof a swift, yet powerful kick with her hind leg. The roof fractures and crumbles instantly, the whole structure swaying precariously. I can't help but shake my head as I turn away. Who needs a wrecking crew when a single mare is strong enough to shatter wood with just her hooves?

By the time I've finished staging the wood in by the shed, Rainbow's brought it to the ground and is standing just outside, dusting off her coat with a pleased expression on her face. She notices my presence as I stand by the fresh wood and i check my hands for splinters. I pointedly ignore her gaze and instead look around for Big MacIntosh for more orders...only to find that he's nowhere nearby. I realize that there's nobody here except Rainbow and myself.

"So…" Rainbow attempts to break the silence between us. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. If I can just keep my cool, I should be able to get through this. When she next speaks, she does so with forced enthusiasm. "Did you see that cool flip I did when I brought the roof down?"

I look at her with incredulity. Out of everything she could have said, she decided to talk about herself? I suppose I should have expected as much, coming from the self proclaimed "fastest flier in Equestria."

"I wasn't paying attention," I respond uncaringly, much to her dismay. Even as her face falls, I continue with a shrug. "I was focusing on doing my job."

"Oh...okay," Rainbow peters out, looking anywhere except at me. Her silence doesn't last long. "What about when I was flying over town? I did some pretty cool stuff then! You saw that, right?"

I sigh with irritation. "Please stop trying to force a conversation."

"Wha-hey!" Rainbow reacts indignantly to that. "Who said I was forcing anything!?"

"Rainbow, it became awkward the moment you got here," I remind her. "If what you're doing right now isn't forced, I don't know what is."

"I'm just making conversation! You said you were okay with that!" Rainbow retorts, venting a frustrated huff through her nose.

"You're not making conversation; you're talking yourself up again, and I haven't the patience," I correct her, turning away from her, "Besides, I can't understand why you'd bother; I made it very clear your efforts aren't welcome."

"Yeah, only because you've got it in your head that we're some kind of bad ponies!" Rainbow snaps back, clearly unwilling to back down. I shoot her a glare; we're going down the exact same path we did during the party, and I won't let that happen again. "What have we ever done to you!?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," I tell her firmly. I don't have a good answer for her, but it doesn't really matter in the end. "You know I'm leaving Ponyville soon. It would be best if you pretended I didn't exist."

"How can I ignore you when you're a jerk to everypony you meet?!" Rainbow demands. She's getting angrier with me the more this conversation drags on. "If you want to leave so bad, why are you even still here!?"

"It's not like I have a choice, dammit! You think I _want_ to be here?! I'd never have come to Equestria if it was up to me!" I lose my last shred of patience and meet her furious gaze. When I realize how much I just revealed to her, I freeze, and then I force myself to calm down. Even Rainbow appears stunned by the sudden outburst. After a short silence, I exhale deeply. "Don't worry, I'll be gone soon enough. I already know I don't belong here. "

"What are you talking about? I never said anything like that! You're the one who..." Rainbow began, but then our exchange came to an abrupt halt at the sound of Big MacIntosh clearing his throat to announce his presence. Rainbow shuts her mouth immediately, flushing with embarrassment. "Oh. Uh...hey, Big Mac."

"That's enough for the day, Rainbow. You were a big help," Big MacIntosh says to her with a grateful smile. I notice that he's brought a wheelbarrow filled with other tools necessary to complete the construction of the shed.

"Ah, you know me. Always willing to help out if you need me!" Rainbow proclaims, pressing a hoof to her chest. Just like that, she looked as though she'd never been arguing with me in the first place. With one last glance at me, she zips into the sky, waving down at the stallion. "Catch ya later!"

Rainbow is gone now, but I can't feel relieved just yet. I'm not so dense as to miss the look Big MacIntosh is giving me.

"How much of that did you hear?" I ask nervously, already cursing my lack of self-control with every fiber of my being. I don't know what it is about that mare that gets me so angry.

"Enough," is all the stallion says in response. I gulp at that, hoping I didn't just screw myself out of a job. Surprisingly, the next thing he says has nothing to do with Rainbow. "Let's get the rubble out of the way so we can start."

"Okay," I turn to do as I'm told. However, before I even pick up the first piece of debris, my curiosity gets the better of me. "You're not going to ask?"

"Nope. Ain't my business," Big MacIntosh replies tersely, and then he gets to work without another word. I remain still for a few moments, gazing at the red stallion. He doesn't say anything further, or even look at me. I scratch the side of my head, surprised, relieved, and a little grateful. Between Applejack and Big MacIntosh, I think I can say I lucked out with the management here. At the very least, they seem to be willing to respect my boundaries.

From there, work proceeds without further interruptions. It's slow going given how much work goes into construction. With all the lifting and moving of wood, it doesn't take very long for my muscles to start burning again. The temperature thankfully becomes more bearable as the day stretches on, and even becomes somewhat pleasant as my body heats up and sweats from exertion.

Once all the debris is out of the way, Big MacIntosh starts building the framework of the new shed. While he does most of the delicate work, he has me handling everything else, whether it be taking measurements, holding boards steady, or fetching him tools from the wheelbarrow. In the process, I pick up a little more of the Equestrian language; in this case, in order to properly take measurements, I have to learn the different numbers. Big MacIntosh is thankfully patient with me as far as that goes.

Eventually, I get a breather as Big MacIntosh gets to work on the more involved tasks of construction. He has the blueprints before him and he appears to understand them well enough, but it all looks like gibberish to me, so there's not much I can do to help. I sit down on the grass nearby and wipe the sweat off my brow. I'm starting to get hungry, but unlike before, there's no apples for me to snack on.

"Y'all working hard?" An elderly female voice calls out to the two of us from behind. I've heard that voice once before; yesterday, when I was collecting my pay from Applejack. I remember Apple Bloom referring to her as Granny Smith. I turn my head, and see that the name suits the pony who's approaching us, a plate piled high with sandwiches and apples balanced on her back. "I bet y'all are hungry, so I brought lunch!"

Granny Smith looks similar to what I'd expect from an aging member of this species. Her face is heavily wrinkled, her mane is grey and frizzy, and her frame is spindly. Big MacIntosh puts down his tools and stands up, perking up at those words. Applejack did say that meals were a part of the job, so I move to join him. Upon seeing me, Granny Smith blinks in surprise.

"So you must be that new worker Applejack's been telling me about," Granny Smith observes as she turns her body to give us easier access to the plate on her back. "Can't say I've ever seen the like, and I've been around since before Ponyville even existed!"

"You wouldn't have. Humans have been lost for around three thousand years," Big MacIntosh beats me to the punch, revealing that he did know precisely what humans are. He also saved me the trouble of having to explain it myself. This revelation causes Granny Smith to look at me with surprise and awe.

"Really now? One of them humans that all them educated ponies keep talking about? On my farm?" Granny Smith takes a moment to look me up and down. "I have to say, you look mighty good for three thousand."

"I'm twenty one, Mrs. Smith," I correct her misunderstanding with a slight shake of my head. "As for why I'm here, that's a long story. Suffice to say, I need money, just like anyone else."

"Mhm, mhm. Makes sense. More importantly, what's this 'Mrs. Smith' nonsense? Call me Granny like everypony else!" Granny Smith chides me. "Now, eat your lunch...Seth, was it? Don't be shy, now!"

Big MacIntosh has already taken his share from the plate, so I follow suit and take one of the sandwiches and an apple from the plate. I peer inside the sandwich to see daisies arrayed neatly atop sliced cucumber. I grimace a little; supposedly humans can eat some flowers, with daisies being one of them. I can't say I've ever tried, however.

"Thanks for the food, Granny," I thank her regardless, choosing to keep my opinions on its contents to myself.

"Don't mention it, Sonny! Eat up and work hard!" Granny Smith encourages me, smiling now that I used only her first name. She turns the other direction and plods away, humming an off-key tune cheerfully. "Now to find Applejack…"

I look around for a place to sit, but don't really find one. Therefore, I sit down and join Big MacIntosh on the grass to eat. I take the first tentative bite of the sandwich and grimace; it's rather bitter, and the texture leaves much to be desired. Despite this, I swallow without complaint. It's better than working on an empty stomach.

"You seem to know a lot about humans," I ask Big MacIntosh after a few minutes of eating in silence.

"Yup," is the red stallion's response. "I read the books once or twice."

"This isn't the first time I've heard about these books," I recall. Flitter spoke of them once, and I believe Lyra's friend, Bon Bon, also did so. "Are they any good?"

"Yup. Not very accurate, though," Big MacIntosh confirms my suspicions about the books. "I'd lend you one, but you can't read."

"I don't have the time to learn either," I add, taking another bite. After a nod from the stallion, we lapse back into silence, having nothing else to say.

After we're finished with lunch, we get right back to work.

* * *

"Howdy there, you two!" Just as the sky starts to redden, Applejack comes to find us, the applecart presumably already stored away. She notices the unpainted, yet otherwise finished toolshed, and then she looks to me. I'm lying with my back against a nearby fence, my body damp with sweat and my muscles burning like fire. She smiles warmly. "Working hard?"

"Doing the best I can," I reply, my chest heaving and my side burning as I talk. The idea of traipsing around Ponyville after work as I'd intended now seems like torture to me. "It's just a little...hard to breathe."

"Ha! Can't blame you. You've been keeping hydrated?" Applejack asks. After I nod, she mirrors the gesture with satisfaction. "I gotta say, Seth, I didn't expect you'd last through today. Lots of folk just ain't cut out for farm work, and I thought you mighta been one of them."

"I'm just doing what needs to be done," I assert, choosing my words carefully. I force myself to my feet, bracing myself on the fence. "Like I said; you don't need to worry; I'll do what I'm being paid to do."

"That's some determination you got," Applejack comments. She beckons to the two of us with her head and turns back the other way. "Cmon, Granny says y'all can be done now. Dinner's about done."  
I sigh with relief when I hear that my work day is finally over. I grab my rifle and fall in step beside Big MacIntosh as we make our way back to the barn.

"You gonna eat with us today, Seth?" Applejack asks while we walk, her gaze focused forward. I suppose I am a little hungry, but the idea of eating with her family isn't any more appealing than it was yesterday..

"No thank you. I'd rather just have a few apples, if that's okay. I have other errands to run before it gets dark," I answer once again, hoping that she doesn't take offense to that.

"Fair enough, I can spare a few. We've got a lot left to get rid of, and all," Applejack responds amicably. Before we can talk further on the subject, however, we near the barn...where Apple Bloom and her two friends appear to have just returned from school. "Evening, Bloom! How was school today?"

"It was really great!" Apple Bloom is oddly enthusiastic for some reason, as are her friends. The three of them exchange knowing looks. "Ain't that right, Scootaloo?"

"No kidding!" Scootaloo agrees, with Sweetie Belle nodding in agreement beside her.

"You'll have to tell me about it later! Anyhow, Seth, wait here while I get your pay," Applejack bids me, and then she steps inside with Big MacIntosh, leaving me with the three fillies.

"You should have seen her face!" Sweetie Belle finally breaks, unable to contain herself. Strangely enough, she seems to be directing that comment towards me. "And the things she said!"

"She was so mad!" Scootaloo agrees, starting to snicker as well. Her next sentence lets me know for sure that they're talking to me. "I thought you were a jerk, but you really showed her who was boss!"

"You're talking about Diamond Tiara," I finally realize. With a sinking feeling, I realize that these fillies are looking at me with what is unmistakably positive emotion. It wasn't my intention, but snapping at that rich filly who had been clearly antagonizing them appears to have put me on their good side. I suddenly regret getting involved...but it wasn't as though I had a choice either.

"Yeah, she was saying all sorts of mean things about us, but you came and helped us! Thanks, Seth!" Apple Bloom affirmed, gazing up at me with a happy smile. "You're really nice!"

"I did it because she dragged me into it, to be entirely honest," I admit to them. I guess it doesn't really matter if some fillies like me, but this is as far as I should let it go. "I wouldn't thank me for that. Besides, you heard what I said to Scootaloo before."

"Well, you were just in a hurry, right? We shouldn't have been pestering you," Sweetie Belle reasons. I raise an eyebrow; I'd thought I was more than cold enough, but getting rid of these fillies is proving to be harder than I expected. Though, I suppose it doesn't really matter. They're just fillies.

"Think what you want, I suppose. I'm glad you got something out of that argument, but don't expect something like that all the time. I don't have the time to make friends," I explain to them as clearly as I can. All three of them tilt their heads at me, looking confused.

"You said that earlier…"

"Awww…"

"But why not…?"

All three of them pull the sad filly act on me at once, but thankfully Applejack comes to my rescue. She emerges from the house with the necks of two bags clenched in her mouth. One of them jangles with the sound of rattling bits, while the other is bulkier. She gestures to me, and I accept them from her.

"There you go. A full day's pay and a sack of apples!" Applejack proclaims. "Thanks again for working so hard. See you bright and early the next morning?"

"I'll be here," I assure her. With nothing else to be said, I seize the opportunity to retreat from the three fillies before they can push the subject. Thankfully Applejack is there to keep them in check, so I manage to get on the path that leads back to town without issue.

Once I'm alone, I inhale deeply and then exhale audibly in an attempt to unwind. I have a short time to relax while I walk, but now is also a good time to mentally go through my list of things to do today. First, I need to visit the boutique so I can get Rarity to affix this guitar strap to my rifle. It's a simple task, so it shouldn't cost me too much. Second, I told Twilight that I'd visit her again sometime this evening. I shouldn't rely on her help, but it may be worth seeing what she's learned.

With that settled, I take a moment to take account of my current savings. With today's earnings, I now possess a total of twenty four bits. That isn't bad. At this rate, I'll be able to make enough to pay my rent in four days. Therefore, I can spend this current money how I please. I allow myself a small smirk of satisfaction; at this rate, I'll be on my way north by the end of the second week, if not sooner. I'll keep my word to Applejack, but after that I'm leaving.

Once I return to town, it hits me that I don't know where the boutique is. I should have thought to ask before now, but there's no helping it. I then proceed to freak out the closest pony by asking her for directions. After she finishes whimpering, I learn that the boutique is southwest of the town hall. While it's possible to reach it directly from the square, I learn there is a faster way, if I cut through a small park not far from here.

Liking the idea of a faster route, I adjust my path accordingly until I reach the river. Just as I locate the nearest bridge and move to cross, my ears catch the faintest trace of music. I pause despite myself, straining my hearing. I'm not imagining it; I can hear a soft and slow tune coming from across the river. If I had to guess, it's coming from a stringed instrument like a harp, but the sound is just different enough to make me uncertain. The music is pleasant to my ears. Even though I know I have other things to do, I find myself following the music to its source.

In the middle of the small park is a small clearing, in which a stone fountain carved to resemble a rearing pony is situated. The clearing is framed by neatly trimmed hedges, and around the fountain are multiple benches, though the majority of them are vacant.

The music is coming from a lone mare standing at the base of the fountain. A golden lyre wrapped in a similarly colored telekinetic aura hangs in the air beside her, the strings seemingly plucking themselves to produce the melody I'm hearing. I recognize her as Lyra easily, despite how different she seems while she's performing.

Lyra is sitting on her haunches, her eyes closed and her head gently swaying to the slow beat of the song. Despite how skillfully she's playing or how hard she must be concentration, none of the strain shows on her completely serene expression. From one musician to another, it isn't hard for me to feel the passion in her performance.

Her melody and skill is enrapturing. I know I need to be going to see Rarity, but I can't bring myself to leave before the end of this song. As I move closer to find a bench to sit on, I note that I'm not the only one who feels this way. There are a handful of other ponies sitting on the ground or on the benches, each of them watching and listening to Lyra's music intently.

Ignoring them, I sit down on the nearest bench beside a rose colored mare. At first, the other mare is startled and seems like she's going to flee, but once she realizes that I'm there for the same reason she is, she relaxes. As for Lyra, she either doesn't notice or doesn't care that I'm here.

As the song goes on, I lean back on the bench and close my eyes, letting the sound wash away the world around me. Just this once, I allow myself to relax and lose myself in the melody. The song is soft and beautiful, yet at the same time, it feels mournful. It causes me to recall memories of good times past.

Before I can stop myself, thoughts and memories of those I've lost return to me in a flood. One particular memory comes to me first; it was a long time ago, when I was still but a child unaware of the world around me. I can remember clearly the light of the sun gleaming off of the rails of the towering roller coasters in the first amusement park I ever visited. I remember having to be coerced to try any of the rides by my brother, Adam. It was one of the last good memories I had before my life fell apart.

The melody shifts in key, and with the shift comes another memory. It was still during college, when I felt as though my life was steadily coming together. I still remember Amaryllis and I taking time away from school one year, on a weekend, to go and visit the beach. It was still early in our friendship, when I still held her at arm's length, and she did likewise. Yet something changed that day. It's difficult to this day to put it into words, but I felt as though I was walking with someone more than human.

She was angry, yet happy. Introverted, yet outgoing. Ruthless, yet kind. She was a walking mass of contradictions that defied all classification, a brightly shining star among a thick sea of black. Beside such brilliance, I could only feel awe. I felt content just walking by her side and sharing in that light.

I come to my senses with a start when the song comes to an end, and the ponies around me start to stomp on the ground with their hooves in what I assume to be the pony version of applause. I can't bring myself to clap, however. The song was beautiful, but it makes me aware of the feeling of deep loss that has nestled itself deep inside of me. The ones who helped me forge the few good memories I had are gone now, leaving me with nothing but emptiness.

That strange pressure once again forms in my sternum as a familiar burning rage makes itself known inside of me. I hold a hand to my chest and grit my teeth; it's not as though this is anything new to me. I know full well whose fault this is. The image of his baleful shadowy eyes forms in my mind, and the pressure gets worse.

I finally exhale and open my eyes to see the other ponies conversing with Lyra as they left the park one by one. Without a word, I rise from the bench and continue on my way to the boutique as if nothing had happened. After a few moments, I hear the sound of hooves clopping on the path behind me.

"Hey, wait up," Lyra calls to me from behind in a soft voice as she walks to catch up with me. I pause and turn just enough so that I can see her out of one eye. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" I ask in a surprisingly calm voice.

"I saw you sitting and watching me, but you left with a scary look on your face," Lyra explained as she came to a halt beside me. "Did you not like the song? Did I upset you?"

"No. The song was beautiful. You're very skilled," I compliment her honestly, such that she looks visibly surprised. I clench my right hand into a fist. "It just...reminded me of what I'm here to do."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Lyra cocks her head, clearly confused. I shake my head, realizing that I've already said too much.

"Don't worry about it," I say dismissively. Lyra doesn't look satisfied with that, so I change the topic. "More importantly, I didn't figure you to be the serene musician type."

"I can be serene if I wanna be." Lyra looks a little smug at that, the mare lifting a hoof to her chin. She then angles her flank at me to display her cutie mark. "My cutie mark _is_ a lyre for a reason, silly."

"I realize that, thank you," I avert my gaze and cross my arms in annoyance. I should have known that would be a stupid thing to say; I did suspect her to be a musician before. "Pardon me if I don't spend too much time staring at a pony's flank."

"Oh really? And why not?" Lyra's smile widens, the smugness seeming to grow. She proceeds to walk around me in such a way that accentuates the movements of her flank. I look at her odd walk in confusion, but then a moment later, a sinking feeling comes over me. This cannot be happening. "Does it make you uncomfortable? Or...maybe you see something you like?"

"You can't be serious," I state flatly, no longer turning to watch her walk. I'd suspected it before when I was at the party, but this makes it as clear as day. Ever since I met her, Lyra has been flirting with me. I've been trying to ignore it up until now, hoping that I was misreading her, but this doesn't leave much room for interpretation. I'm putting an end to this right now. I turn on my heel and stride away from Lyra with finality in my step. "I'm through with this conversation… and I'm through with you."

"Okay, I'm sorry, but you pretty much set me up for that one," Lyra laughs at first, but her mirthful expression dies on her face when I don't stop moving or even look back at her. "Wait, you're not kidding, are you? Seth? Come on, I was only teasing! Seth, come back!"

I leave the distraught Lyra behind without a second glance and make my way to the boutique, which I easily recognize from both the descriptions I've heard as well as its distinctive appearance. It's a large circular building decorated with various frills, statues, pillars, and colors mostly registering in the cooler end of the color spectrum. It's a tall building, easily reaching two stories.

I'm behind the structure, so I make my way around the side, passing a tree and a line of laundry on the way to the front door. As per usual, the door is constructed with ponies in mind, such that my head nearly reaches the top of the door frame. Without further ado, I briskly knock on the door's surface and wait patiently for a response.

"Comiiing!" I hear Rarity trill from within. A few moments later, the door opens to reveal the well groomed unicorn gazing directly at my chest. She quickly realizes that she isn't looking at a pony, and her gaze travels up to my eyes. "Ah, Seth! Do come in; I was just finishing up for the day."

I obediently follow her inside, immediately shuddering at the change of temperature inside the building. As Rarity closes the door behind me, I take a cursory look over the interior. On either side of the door are two wide circular windows shaded by yellow curtains. On the left wall, I note several protruding alcoves containing racks and racks of different sets of clothing. Each of these alcoves is shaded by thick rose curtains held open by lace colored a lighter pink.

Further up that wall are more alcoves, though these are shallower and consist only of mirrors and vanities; I assume they're makeshift fitting rooms. At the far end of the wall is a doorway through which I can see a set of stairs that spiral up and out of sight. On the right wall is a small circular stage surrounded by mirrors and framed by the curvature of the wall. Set in that same wall is a small door.

Lastly, around the room are multiple shelves, cupboards, and mannequins. However, the mannequins are in the shape of ponies, so I suppose the term 'mannequin' hardly applies.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique!" Rarity greets me formally, even dipping her head somewhat in what I think is supposed to be a curtsy. "Would you care for some tea before we get down to business?"

"No thank you. I'm hoping to be in and out of here. I have somewhere else to be not long after this," I explain to her.

"But of course! I shall endeavour to make your visit swift then, if you wish it," Rarity takes my refusal with good grace, answering me with flowery and proper speech. "I don't suppose you've reconsidered my offer for new clothes?"

"I haven't the money. I'm here for something far simpler," I respond. As she watches curiously, I unwrap the guitar strap from my waist and hold it and my rifle out for her to see. "I'd like this strap fixed to my rifle, so I don't have to hold onto it all the time."

"Well. Simple is certainly correct." Rarity seems taken aback, as well as a little disappointed by the request. She obligingly grasps both the strap and the rifle in a light blue telekinetic field and takes them from me. "No matter, I have recently restocked my stores of adhesive, so you're in luck!"

A drawer opens on the other side of the room and a small bottle flies through the air to join the rifle and strap in Rarity's magical aura. The bottle proceeds to unscrew itself to reveal a small brush coated with an odd fluid attached to the underside of the cap. Rarity checks the tip of the brush briefly, and then she brings the rifle towards her.

"What an odd contraption. Hm. It's most certainly seen better days," Rarity notes the sorry shape of the weapon with a cursory glance. She wrinkles her nose at the excess of rust, dust, and cobwebs still coating the metal. She turns it over multiple times, even looking down the barrel at one point. It's a good thing the weapon has long since been defunct. "Where should the ends of the strap be attached? Pardon me, but I can't make heads nor tails of this."

"It would be scary if you could," I remark dryly. I'm curious as to what weapons these ponies actually use; despite their seemingly early-industrial to modern tech, my rifle seems utterly unfamiliar to them. However, those are thoughts for another time. "Here, let me show you."

I reach my hands over to the rifle and indicate two particular places on its surface. I'm almost completely unfamiliar with the makes and models of different guns, but I know just enough to direct Rarity to the proper places: on the side of the muzzle by the forward sights, and at the base of the stock.

Rarity dabs the specified places with the tip of the brush, leaving behind a small amount of the clear substance on the metal. Once she's done so, she telekinetically presses the tips of the strap to either place, and then she releases both gun and strap into my waiting grip.

"Done!" Rarity announces, screwing the cap back on the bottle and returning it to its drawer. She watches as I grasp the rifle by the strap to test its durability. Sure enough, the strap is holding fast to the rifle, easily withstanding the pull of gravity.

"Not bad. I guess Vinyl wasn't kidding about this Liquid Rock stuff," I observe, lightly tugging on the strap. Pleased, I sling the rifle over my bare shoulders. It feels freeing to finally have both hands free when I'm moving from place to place. I reach into my bag of bits and withdraw a single coin. "Now, for your payment."

"Payment?" Rarity echoes, looking nonplussed. She telekinetically catches the coin out of reflex after I toss it to her. When she realizes what she's holding, her gaze turns noticeably incredulous. A moment later, and the bit lands back in my hands. "Darling, you can't be serious. Helping you with your...whatever that is...was no trouble at all! I wouldn't dream of charging you!"

"Payment given for services rendered. That's how things work." I stubbornly flick the coin back to her. Rarity catches it once more, but instead of giving it back, she sets it on a nearby countertop and gazes at me with an unforeseen stubbornness in her gaze. "Keep that. What you do with it after I'm gone doesn't matter to me."

"Seth, I've been keeping quiet out of respect for your boundaries, but I feel I must say something," Rarity finally says, using my name and looking into my eyes. "This is the second time you've chosen expense over honest generosity. And, from what I've heard, I'm not the only one you've done this to."

"So much for that apology," I mutter under my breath. I could just turn around and leave; I've already gotten for what I came. However, if she's heard something about me from others, she's likely friends with Rainbow or Pinkie. I already know she's friends with Applejack. "Let's say you're right. What's your point?"

"I don't understand why you're deliberately choosing to make things harder for yourself. For example, when I offered you a new wardrobe, not only were you turning down free clothes, but also a means of keeping warm for when winter arrives," Rarity explains. So far, everything she's saying has been true, so I don't say anything. "I noticed you shivering early this morning; you're clearly in need of such clothing. Is it just because you believe I don't have what it takes to make human clothing? Or perhaps it seems I only make clothing for mares?"

"It's because I don't trust you," I cut her off flatly, choosing to be completely honest. Rarity's mouth drops open slightly in surprise. I don't miss the change in her expression; she's offended. "So far, one after another, I've been accosted by you ponies with offers of kindness and generosity. I'd have to be stupid to believe that any of you mean it."

"Whatever are you talking about? Surely you don't believe that I'd use my generosity as a means to extract favors from you in the future?" Rarity hits the nail right on the head, somehow managing to understand exactly what it is I'm trying to tell her.

"That's exactly what it is. I'm a complete stranger who happens to be a human, a precursor race to your kind. You could all have any number of reasons for wanting me on your good side," I return, crossing my arms. "If you understand, then accept my payment so I can be on my way."

"Hm…" Rarity muses for a moment; she appears to have taken my words very seriously. Eventually, her stubborn expression returns. "No, I don't think I will. In fact, I'll take it a step further."

"You'll do what?" I demand, but Rarity is already moving. She wastes no time in rifling through her drawers until she finds what she's looking for; a tape measure. "Rarity, what the hell are you doing?"

"Proving a point," Rarity replies enigmatically. "Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make a few sets of clothing for you; a few for casual wear, a few for work, and one for the cold weather."

"Did you not hear a word I've said? I will eventually want those clothes, yes, but not until I can pay for them. I won't let you give them to me…" I start to protest.

"...for free? Yes, I did hear you. You're concerned I have another motive for doing this," Rarity finishes my sentence for me. Her next response takes me by surprise. "You would be right, of course."

"You're… just going to admit it?" Is all I can say. After that argument, I hadn't expected her to turn around and render my argument justified. "Then what's the point of arguing with me?"

"I haven't finished explaining yet. I want you to hear me out first. If you still decide I'm untrustworthy, I won't press the issue." Rarity expresses. She and I stare at each other in silence for a few moments as I mull her words over in my head. "How does that sound?"

"I'm listening…" I answer after a short pause. Though I've no intention of accepting her offer, I find myself curious exactly what kind of argument she plans to give me. I doubt it'll be something I haven't heard before.

"Excellent. How familiar are you with art, Seth?" Rarity asks. I blink at the sudden change of subject.

"Art?"

"That's right. I'm not just referring to painting, but also music, literature, sculptures, and the like. I noticed you working with that DJ the other night, so I imagined you'd have some interest," Rarity elaborates.

"You'd be right. I was a musician of sorts once upon a time," I answer hesitantly. "Where are you going with this?"

"A musician! Wonderful; then you'd most certainly understand. Wouldn't you say that the purpose of art is to be admired by others?" Rarity presents with a smile. I nod, finding that to be common sense. "What is a musician, without an audience? What is a writer, without readers? Furthermore, what is a fashionista, without anyone to wear her work? For you see, I am also an artist….and this is my art!"

Rarity opens the curtains around the circumference of the room, revealing multitudes of fancy dresses of various colors and designs hanging from racks. Even as I glance over them, I suddenly understand the point she's trying to make.

"You're trying to say that you making clothes for me would be the same as a musician performing for an audience," I realize. Rarity beams, telling me without words that I'm right. I narrow my eyes skeptically. "A solid comparison, but you forget that musicians don't present their work for free. The same goes for writers. Musicians hold concerts, and writers sell their books."

"Why yes, of course, but would a musician charge another for listening to them practice? Would a writer sell their first draft?" Rarity shoots back cleverly.

"No...we'd show it to a few select others for feedback so we can improve," I grudgingly admit. I can't argue with that logic. "So what you're saying is…"

"I want to try something new, Seth! I want to make clothing for one of your kind. Just like a painter would want to be the first to paint a new landscape, I want to be the first pony to make human clothing!" Rarity explains for me, looking particularly pleased with herself. "So you see, I do have what you'd call an ulterior motive, but that's not always a bad thing. So what do you say? Will you kindly grant me that opportunity?"

I stare back at her, the wheels in my mind turning. Just out of principle, I want to refuse her, but the point she just made is a very good one. I'd never charge someone for listening to me while I practiced piano, but I'd certainly want someone to listen so I'd know where I can improve. Rarity is saying this situation is the same for her...and I really do need clothes to head up north with. It seems like she's being honest with me about her motivations, but there's still that niggling doubt.

"Alright. I'll let you make me some clothes," I finally relent, hoping that I won't regret this later. I feel a sense of dread come over me, as though I'd just made a huge mistake. I rub my forehead, and then I glare at her, even as her smile grows wider. "But if this is your motive, I won't accept you trying to pull something in the future."

"Trust me, you needn't worry. You've already made me plenty happy!" Rarity exults, looking as though she's hardly able to contain just how excited she's become. She happily trots over to the circular stage surrounded by mirrors. "If you'll come with me? This'll take just a moment."

"What are you going to do?" I follow her hesitantly.

"I'll need your measurements if I'm to make you clothing," Rarity explained. She tapped the surface of the stage with her hoof. "Up here, if you please. I'll also need you to remove your pants, so I can get better measurements."

"Yeah, no. That's not going to happen." I deny immediately, every mental block in my mind going up at once. Rarity pauses, looking perplexed at my fervent denial. I flush in embarrassment a moment later when I remember that clothing is a commodity rather than a necessity for ponies. "I'm not like you; I can't just go without clothes. Especially not in front of a girl."

"Oh. I see…" Rarity responds with a light blush coloring her face, the mare understanding my underlying meaning easily. The tape measure swirls through the air towards me as I climb up on the stage. "Pardon my ignorance, then. I shall simply have to compensate. Remain still, if you please."

I stand still on the stage as the tape measure slithers up and around my body, taking quick measurements of my inseam, waist, hips, arms, and other such lengths necessary for making properly fitting clothes. To compensate for the width of the pants I'm wearing, the tip of the tape measure slips inside just enough for her to take the width of both my pants and my underwear, causing me to fidget uncomfortably. I need clothes, so there's nothing for me to do except suffer in silence.

At long last, after what seems like an endless amount of measurements, the tape slides back into the receptacle with a click. Rarity places the tape measurement aside and proceeds to write down a series of what look to be numbers, some of which I recognize from my work on the farm.

"That's that! Thank you so much, darling. I'll get to work on this right away!" Rarity's excitement becomes more palpable with every word that comes out of her mouth. Already, she seems to be sketching different potential designs on the same parchment as before. "If you'll come see me first thing in the morning, I'll have several outfits ready for you to try!"

"That soon?" I comment as I hastily hop down from the stage. I've never seen how clothes are made, but I do know that after ordering some, it typically took about three to five days for them to come in.

"You don't understand; it's been so long since I've had something so new and so fresh to work with! It's not like designing clothes for a pony; the colors in which a particular pony will look good are partly determined by their coat color. For example, a pony with a yellow coat simply would not look good wearing an ensemble with a violet motif," Rarity explains eagerly. "But you're different. You are a unique shade I don't often see on ponies; this opens up a whole world of different color possibilities that I've never had the opportunity to experiment with! I'm positively giddy! I can't wait another moment to get started!"

It's not hard for me to see just how passionate she seems to be about her work. It's not something I'm used to seeing. I have my own passions, of course, but I've never really felt comfortable sharing them as much as Rarity is. For a moment, I feel a hint of jealousy towards her. That she's so passionate about her work she's willing to lose sleep...it's a luxury I won't get the chance to experience for myself again.

"I'll leave you to it, then. I have other places to be," I say, putting those thoughts out of my mind. I turn around with my rifle slung over my back and head for the door. "I won't be here in the morning; I still have to work. But I'll be by later."

"Glad to hear it! I'll see you then!" Rarity calls after me as I open up the door. "Thanks again for the opportunity! I greatly appreciate it!"

"Whatever," is all I can think of to say before I close the door. The first thing I notice is that it's gotten much darker than before. It's close to winter, so it's going to get darker sooner day by day, I imagine.

My thoughts return to Rarity. I hope that following with her logic won't come back to bite me. The fact that she's willing to make so many clothes for me including the winter clothes that I so desperately need will greatly accelerate my plans to leave Ponyville. However, I've learned that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. I curse beneath my breath, an untenable anxiety making its home in my chest.

I force myself to take a deep breath. I still have to visit Twilight, and I can't walk in there feeling like this. After my heartbeat returns to normal, I make my way back to the street, choosing the direct route now rather than walk back through the park. I'm starting to remember the paths I need to take to get from place to place, thanks to the many memorable landmarks the town posessess. Thus, it's not hard for me to find the way back to Twilight's library.

The lights are still on, so I assume she's still home. Upon reaching the front door, I knock firmly to announce my presence. I hear her moving about inside for several seconds, but it isn't for a full minute that the door opens. It only takes one look at Twilight's face for me to realize that something is wrong.

Twilight meets my gaze for only a brief moment, and then she looks down at the ground. Her tail is tucked close between her hind legs, and her front hooves are shuffling ever so slightly on the ground.

"You said you wanted me to come back, so here I am." She doesn't seem like she's going to say anything, so I start the conversation, my suspicions rising slowly. "What's wrong with you?"

"I..." Twilight starts to say, then she cuts off, as if she doesn't quite know how to explain what's on her mind. She heaves a sigh, and then she dips her head and beckons me inside. "Come inside, and I'll explain. I...have a confession to make."

I follow Twilight inside, wondering what could have happened to cause such a drastic shift in her usual attitude. Once I'm inside, I notice Spike standing beside a nearby bookshelf, watching the two of us with worry evident in his eyes.

Between Spike's expression and Twilight's demeanor, I have a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

At last, here is chapter 9. Speaking of RL troubles, it was my turn to have them this time. Technically I'm still dealing with them, but this is an author's note, not a private blog. So on to what the maybe five people that read this wanted to see.

I'm particularly happy with the way this one turned out. I had some writer's block at first because I wasn't sure how the story was going to proceed once I cut out Seth's tirade at Pinkie in the previous chapter. But then I decided that I've written myself here; I should see it through. I'll choose what to keep and what not to keep, and we'll see what the finished result will look like.

Once again, I'd like you all to join me in thanking Brave-Hooves and Insidiaphilia for editing this and helping it reach the level of quality that you see now. I'd also like you all to leave me a comment letting me know what you think! This is hard work, and even the slightest bit of acknowledgement makes it all worth it.

* * *

Like before, please don't read below if you don't want to see the potential spoilers that may follow in the below change list.

 **The Changelist:**

-I readded the scene with Pinkie, but this time it went much differently. Still not quite sure why I had her leap on him before in the original...but whatever.

-I cut out the entire farm scene and reworked it from the ground up; Insidia helped me realize that Seth was constructing things poorly and that Big Mac was an awful taskmaster for trusting a total noob at construction to build a shed. He also pointed out that ponies have lightning rods and thus wouldn't take much damage from lightning.

-In what is the most major change to the farm scene, I included Rainbow Dash, in order to tie her character more closely with Seth. This will make Seth's comments about their initial relationship later in the story make more sense. For example "I hated you so much" or even in chapter 12 "I hate you." This kinda fell flat to me when I remembered that they literally argued once. Just once. I wanted to establish their complicated relationship early story, so I felt more scenes with her clashing with him needed to be added. At this point, I'd like it to seem like Rainbow is trying to find out more about Seth, but in her attempts, she rubs Seth the wrong way, leading to an argument. In other words, what Twilight said to her bothers her, but she's getting so frustrated trying to understand Seth.

-I had Granny Smith introduced to Seth earlier than in the original. I realized that I was excluding her for no good reason. Maybe I just didn't want to write her character. So I rewrote their initial interaction.

-all of the fillies now like Seth. This is long before Diamond Tiara was reformed, so she was likely still making their lives a living hell. So the fact that Seth seemingly stood up for them got him securely on their good side. Which was unintentional on his part, as he was only acting on his principles. This will change all future scenes with the cmc, especially Scootaloo. Then again, I kinda forgot about the cmc after the royal wedding...

-the Lyra scene. This one was hard to read back through in the original. All that happened was Lyra played a song, Seth cried like a bitch, and then she flirted and Seth overreacted. I kept her playing, and kept Seth getting emotional, but this time, his emotions went in a different direction. The song reminded him of what he'd lost, and who was responsible. I kept the part where Lyra was flirting, though at this point I wanted it to seem less spontaneous. She's been flirting with him from the get go, but this time she was just making it slightly more obvious, and not in a silly way.

-The Rarity scene. Boy, did I have fun with this one. I kept the general theme: Seth walks in, gets the strap, Rarity pulls some word-fu so he'd let her make him clothes, and he leaves. But I just fleshed everything out to match Seth's new personality, and to make it so that she'd actually defeat Seth in a battle of words. I'm happy with the way this scene turned out; it was a conversation from one artist to another!

* * *

If you want to talk with me more personally, **come join my Discord group!** Just send me a request at darkterraform # 4122


	10. A History Lesson

As always, the interior of the library is as immaculately clean as ever. I would be hard pressed to find even a single speck of dust lurking amongst the room's many bookshelves. The lingering scent of toasted bread hangs lightly in the air, mixing with the scent of books to form a relaxing, homey aroma.

In contrast, Twilight Sparkle looks anything but relaxed. After she and I had retreated inside the library, she had ushered me to the central table, where cushions were already laid out for us. Beneath the horse head carving, in place of the stacks of books that are typically present, is a thick scroll of parchment bound by a red velvet ribbon topped with a golden horseshoe seal. Judging from the nearby inkwell with a quill still resting within it, Twilight had been recently writing something on that parchment.

"I...don't suppose you want some tea first?" Twilight asks timidly. I recall the beverage that she'd made for me on my first visit here, and that it was a somewhat pleasant experience. That being said, after being greeted like this, the thought of waiting to hear her confession doesn't sit well with me.

"I'd rather you get to the point. What did you do?" I return, perhaps more sharply than I'd intended. Twilight winces, her ears folding back. To inspire this kind of guilt in her, she must have done something particularly bad; something that she believes I'll take issue with.

"Well...I...to be honest…" Twilight looks as though she's trying to deliver the bad news in a softer way, but the words seem to be failing her. She sighs, and then she blurts it out all at once. "I told Princess Celestia everything!"

I blink, the meaning of her sudden confession taking a moment to register in my mind. When it hits me, my eyes widen, my hand falling to my side. I may not know much about Equestrian government, but I've learned enough by listening to other ponies that it closely resembles a theological diarchy, with the two ruling entities referred to as "princesses," rather than queens.

Princess Celestia; Not only is she one of the two ruling entities of the entire country, she's so deeply ingrained into Equestrian society that her name is often used in various verbal expressions, as well as on its own as an exclamation. She is often thematically accompanied by a sun motif, present on both Equestrian's currency and in her seemingly religious title: the Solar Princess.

That means that one of the two most powerful ponies in the country knows of my existence. My eyes narrow at Twilight, earning a small whine from her. A small wave of anger courses through me, but it quickly subsides. I heave a sigh to relieve some of the built up stress her confession exacted upon me. I should be furious, but I remain calm despite the clear violation of my privacy.

"Be more specific. How much does she know?" I ask calmly.

"I told her that there was a human called Seth living in Ponyville with us, and that he had come from the past against his will. I also told her that you were searching for the one who sent you here," Twilight explained. When she sees me frown, she immediately breaks down. "I'm so sorry! I know I shouldn't have said anything without talking to you first, but I was afraid to approach you, and I just wanted to help…"

"Twilight." I cut across her, but she continues to apologize and attempt to explain herself, bringing up several examples of arguments I've had in the past, her words coming faster and more shrill, until finally I had to raise my voice. "Shut up, Twilight! I'm not angry!"

Twilight cuts off mid sentence, gazing at me with surprise. "You're not? But...I went behind your back to ask the princess for help! Why wouldn't you be angry?"

"I told you; you were too worried," Spike chided her with a shrug, the tiny dragon making his way over to the table to join us. "I guess Seth's too nice to get upset over just that...right?"

Spike glances over at me after that last question, the dragon clearly looking for confirmation. I decide to ignore him despite his clear uncertainty and focus on Twilight instead.

"I should be. But it would be pointless to get angry with you. If there's anything I've learned from being in this town for a few days, it's that you ponies like to talk," I reveal. A growing feeling of resignation is coming over me. Now that the country's royalty knows about me, it's only a matter of time before things get complicated for me. I wanted to be gone before that happened, but I underestimated how fast news could spread. "It was only a matter of time before the government learned about me, whether from you or from word of mouth. Honestly, it's my own fault for thinking that you'd keep it from them; I did learn early on that you are Princess Celestia's personal student."

"I guess that does make sense, but I still feel bad," Twilight concedes. "I really should have asked you before telling her about you."

"You should have. But you didn't, so here we are," I reply rather coldly. "More importantly, what does this mean for me? Will they be sending soldiers to collect me? Or are they more subtle than that, and want me to come for a visit instead?"

"What? Why would they send the guard after you?" Twilight asks incredulously. "The princess finds your presence here interesting, and the existence of a time-snatching mage concerning, but she wouldn't resort to something so drastic. Though, admittedly, she did ask if I could bring you to see her in Canterlot at some point."

"I thought as much. I'll be damned if they'll let me leave once I arrive," I comment, her words confirming my fears. Even in my time, if an ancient Sumerian were to walk around in broad daylight like I have, it wouldn't be long before the government got involved.

"Seth! Who do you think the princess is? Do you think she's some kind of tyrant!?" Twilight appears highly offended by my words. No doubt that as the princess's personal student, she's highly attached to her. I should have known that to begin with; if I don't want to make this worse, I should try not to let my cynicism show.

"It wouldn't surprise me. But I don't want to argue about that. More importantly, did she know anything about Sombra?" I deftly switch the topic away from Celestia. "You did say that you would contact her to try and get into the Royal Archives."

"She knows that you were brought here by a powerful mage, but I hadn't given her his name just yet," Twilight admits. She lifts up the scroll of parchment on the table with her magic, showing it to me. "In fact, I was about to send her another letter doing so as well as asking for permission to get into the archives like you said."

"Why haven't you, then?" I ask impatiently.

"Well...I felt bad about telling her all of this without asking you first, so I wanted to...uh...ask you first," Twilight explains, setting the scroll back down on the table. "I'm sure that Princess Celestia will know who King Sombra is."

"No doubt. But you might as well send it; I don't know why you need to ask me anyway; this is for your own research project," I remind her pointedly. "You're just sharing the results with me. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, the research project! Right, of course. Silly me," Twilight stammers, looking anywhere but at me. My expression hardens, detecting the lie in her words easily. Of course she's still trying to help me. I doubt she ever stopped. But at this point, I'll hold her to that lie as long as I physically can. "Spike, send that letter for me, would you?"

"Already on it," Spike returns with a slight smirk, the dragon lifting up the scroll.

"It'll probably take a few days to get to her, depending on how far away...Canterlot...is from here. In the meantime, I'll…" In the middle of my sentence, Spike summons forth a jet of green flame that incinerates the scroll so thoroughly that not even ashes are left behind. "What the hell? Weren't you going to send that?"

"He did send it. Spike knows a simple spell that allows him to transport small objects directly to Princess Celestia through his flames," Twilight reveals to me. She brightens up at my look of disbelief and confusion. "It works by the magical entanglement of two singular mana particles; any change in the condition of one particle is immediately reflected in the other. In the case of Spike's flames and the parchment, it means that…"

"That's all well and good, but I don't need to hear the technical details," I interrupt her with a wave of my hands. Twilight looks thoroughly put out, her mouth turning down into a disappointed pout. Her expression earns a snicker from Spike at her expense. "That being said, it seems like your magic operates on a set of rules of its own, in direct defiance to those of physics."

"That's correct!" Twilight brightens up in an instant, a bright smile crossing her face. Spike rolls his eyes and heads off to the kitchen, claiming that he was going to make tea. "You see, all magic is performed through manipulation of the base particles found naturally in nature; we refer to these particles as 'mana.' Unlike physical particles, mana can't be said to have physical or chemical properties such as mass or volume. Instead…"

"How is that possible?" As much as I want to avoid a technical discussion, my academic curiosity is beginning to get aroused. "I only know of one particle that has no mass, and I'm not sure if it has volume. You're saying mana works similar to light?"

"You're familiar with photons? It's true that neither photons nor mana have mass, but mana behaves so differently that we can hardly compare it to that of photons. I'm surprised you know that, however." Twilight's excitement is only growing, her passion for the topic evident by the gleam in her eyes and the gesticulation with her hooves. "But to clarify, there doesn't seem to be a limit to how much mana can be present in a set area. However, the more mana that is present in a medium, the higher the chance that we'll see a magical reaction. That's why ponies have come up with a statistic we refer to as 'affinity….'"

"Right right, too much, too fast," I finally have to stop her; the number of questions rising from her explanation having grown exponentially to the point where I can't focus on her words anymore.

"I'm sorry. I've been studying magic every since I was a little filly, and there's always more to be learned!" Twilight apologizes sheepishly. "But if you're interested in the subject, I can recommend several excellent reference texts for your perusal...but you can't read. Right."

"Right. But let's get back on track. You said the princess wants me to come and visit her eventually. Can you be more specific? How long do I have, precisely?" I press, pushing my questions about magic out of my mind. The thought of meeting the highest authority in Equestria is weighing on me heavily. I curse myself for not thinking of this possibility beforehand. I only hope I'll have enough time to get the clothes from Rarity and get out of town.

"How long? She didn't give me a definite timeline. She does want to see you, but I assure you she won't drag you out of town, if that's what you're worried about," Twilight answers with an admonishing tone.

"I suppose we'll see," I respond, unconvinced. "Anyway, I'm assuming that because you had to contact the princess, you didn't find anything further on Sombra in this library?"

"That's right. It's odd; over the years, there've been many powerful mages documented in our history books, but never once does King Sombra's name appear. If he can use a time spell more powerful than even Starswirl was capable of, I can't fathom that he'd never appear in our history, especially if he's royalty. Assuming you're certain that he _is_ from our era," Twilight reasons.

"As certain as I can be. Why else would I appear in this time as a result of his spell?," I return with a shrug. "He didn't strike me as the type to throw spells at random."

"Was King Sombra his real name? Sometimes mages will operate under false names or pseudonyms," Twilight queries. I freeze upon hearing that.

"I didn't even think of that," I admit, cursing my own stupidity. I only ever learned Sombra's name from the computer in the school. "That'll make my search much harder."

"Not necessarily. I'm still convinced that if he exists in our era, he has something to do with the Frozen North. I've found mentions that remote villages up in that region have been subsisting on trade, but never was it made clear who they were trading with," Twilight points out, lifting a series of books from the shelves with her magic. She presses a hoof to her chin, the mare clearly thinking hard. "If I'm right and there was a civilization there once, I don't understand why it would be missing now from our records. I don't think Discord's influence stretched that far north, but I could be wrong. He was extremely unpredictable…"

"You say Discord like it's some kind of name," I observe, confused by her offhand comment. "Was there a pony called Discord in the past?"

Twilight winces. "Yes, but he was hardly a pony. He was more of an entity formed completely of magical entropy, or chaos. He reigned over all of Equestria about a thousand years ago, before our princesses appeared and made our government the way it is today."

"I'm having a hard time picturing that. How can there be a creature made out of chaos?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. As ridiculous as this is sounding, it's not as though I can dismiss her words offhand. I've learned that nothing about this world is the same as it used to be, though I haven't been able to determine where and how everything changed so drastically.

"It's difficult to explain. Discord typically appeared as an amalgamation of different creatures, and his fine control of mana was so far beyond anything we've ever been able to replicate; all he had to do was snap his fingers, and he could impose his will on the world," Twilight answers. "He could twist and pervert the very nature of reality to suit him. During his reign, he turned our country upside down; both literally and figuratively. For example, one hill would be colored pink and black in a checkerboard pattern while our town hall rotated in midair, and another might be blue with white polkadots."

"That sounds...wholly unbelievable, if I'm being honest," I remark, a disbelieving sigh escaping me. "When you put it like that, he sounds like a god."

"That...would be a rather apt description. There didn't seem to be anything he couldn't do," Twilight admits with a wry expression.

"You also talk about him as though you were there," I note with suspicion.

"Oh, well, I wasn't even born during his initial reign, but he escaped from his prison almost a year ago, and we witnessed his power first hoof before we managed to seal him away again," Twilight explains. She chuckles at the resulting look on my face. "That probably doesn't help the credibility any. He's currently sealed away in stone in Canterlot, if you want to go see him when we visit the princess."

"Yeah, pardon me if I'm not too enthused by that prospect," I emit sarcastically before I can help myself, earning a laugh from Twilight in response. However, this Discord is raising several more questions. If he had that kind of power...that could explain why nature isn't quite working right. "Though now that you mention it, I'm curious; where did this Discord come from? Was he always ruling you?"

"We're not quite sure where he came from. History has it recorded that one day, he appeared out of the blue, claiming that the world had grown too boring. It gets fuzzy after that, because it was likely difficult to record anything during his reign," Twilight reveals.

Despite all the questions I'm asking her, she doesn't seem annoyed by them in the slightest. I probably shouldn't be asking so many questions without giving her something in return for all this information, but it's hard to suppress my curiosity. The more I learn about Discord, the more my knowledge of reality is starting to fall apart. If he stated the world had "grown too boring," did that mean he existed before ponykind? But that would mean…

"That's okay, I didn't need my worldview anyway," I mutter under my breath. As disturbing as that implication is, it doesn't really matter for me in the long run. "That's interesting. But we keep getting sidetracked away from Sombra."

"I'm sorry. I got caught up in sharing our history with you. Usually this is all common knowledge, so it's rare that I can have a discussion about it like this," Twilight confesses. "I'm actually rather enjoying myself."

"That's good for you, but more importantly, I'm interested in that lost civilization you mentioned," I bring the topic back on track quickly; Twilight's happy expression is starting to make me uncomfortable.

"I'm not even certain that there is one. It's just one hypothesis that I have. Honestly I could be entirely on the wrong track, and King Sombra has nothing to do with the Frozen North at all. It was a tenuous connection to begin with," Twilight expresses with a helpless shrug. "Regardless, I'm interested enough to write up a research paper on the topic. Maybe I can gather up the girls and travel up north to see for myself, and do a spot of field research!"

"That's a terrible idea," I cut down her enthusiasm without mercy. Twilight recoils at the sudden vehemence in my voice. "Let's get one thing straight here. Let's say that you're right and Sombra is hiding out up there. He will kill you and your friends without a second thought."

"W-What?" Twilight stammers, her eyes growing to the size of saucers. "K-Kill us? But...I thought he was just a time mage! What...what kind of pony is this King Sombra?"

"A ruthless monster and a mass murderer," I snap, my fingers tightening around my rifle. I can't even imagine how Amaryllis or my family must have felt, faced with that kind of fate. This burning rage that I still feel...nothing will quench it except Sombra's death. "You see...I _have_ to find him. It's…"

... _all I have left._

Twilight gazes at me with new understanding in her eyes, as well as a hint of that damned sympathy of which I've grown tired. So involved are we in this awkward and emotional moment that none of us notices Spike's approach until he's right in front of us.

"So, is now a bad time for tea? Cuz between us, this is a great batch," Spike cuts in, placing the platter containing three cups in his claws on the table. Distracted, I gaze at the tea set before us. After a moment's hesitation, I grasp the nearest teacup and sip from it, finding it to be the same flavor as before.

"Thanks, Spike. I completely forgot you went to make tea." Twilight gratefully accepts her own teacup, lifting it telekinetically to her lips. "Okay, so perhaps field research wouldn't be the best idea. If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do if you find him?"

That's easy. It should go without saying what I intend to do with him. I hope to make him experience the pain and despair he put me through, and ultimately, kill him. I've never thought about taking the life of another living being before; in fact, I've been staunchly opposed to it all my life. Yet despite that, the idea that Sombra could go on living after what he did to my family and friend is too much to bear.

I'm not stupid. I know that Sombra is capable of feats of great strength as well as spells strong enough to send me to the future. There's a chance I won't even be able to hurt him when I do find him. Yet I can't bring myself to care. All I know is that either he will die, or I will. There is no other alternative.

"I have a few grievances to address," I reply in a dangerously calm voice. Twilight and Spike glance at one another, and then back at me, unsure what to make of my answer. "Beyond that, it doesn't concern you anymore."

Twilight's expression hardens. "I think it does. Because frankly it sounds like…" she begins, but before she can finish her sentence, Spike suddenly releases a fiery belch. Green flames emanate from his open mouth and swiftly coalesce into the shape of a scroll of thick parchment. Like Twilight's scroll earlier, it's bound with a velvet ribbon and adorned with a seal. However, the seal is fashioned in the shape of a sun radiating rays of light. There's no doubt whose seal that is.

"Mail's here," Spike remarks drily as the scroll drops onto the table. He then takes a long swig from his cup. "Being your messenger really parches my throat!"

"That was...alarmingly fast. I don't think it's even been an hour since you sent it," I observe, feeling more than a little worried. It was to my understanding that governmental figures are extremely busy. "Even if you are her student, I expected a wait of at least a day or two."

"There can be long delays between responses, but she's been responding quickly to my letters about you," Twilight reveals, grabbing the scroll with her magic and opening it up. My worries only deepen after hearing that. If that's the case, the princess considers me a priority. "Should I read it aloud so you can hear it too?"

"Do it. I get the distinct feeling I'm not going to like what I hear," I decide, leaning back against the table. I finish the rest of my tea and replace the cup on the platter, my heart rising into my throat.

"I think you should relax," Twilight advises me, but her words might as well have fallen on deaf ears. There's a very good chance that whatever this letter contains will determine my future. Twilight clears her throat, and then begins.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle; your revelation of King Sombra as the identity of the mysterious time mage is most alarming. He is indeed known to us, and his existence, as well as the fate of the city-state over which he ruled, has been a well-guarded secret for a thousand years. Due to this, it comes as a shock to both my sister and I that Seth's arrival in our time is connected to King Sombra.

There will be no need for you to visit the Royal Canterlot Archives in this particular case. I apologize for the extremely short notice, but my sister and I will be arriving in Ponyville tomorrow at dawn to personally address this issue. Your loving mentor, Celestia."

When Twilight finished reading the letter, her expression was neutral at first. Gradually, her eyes widened and she begins to look rather dumbfounded. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are coming here _tomorrow_!?" Twilight frantically looks around the room with increasingly visible dissatisfaction.

"Twilight...I know what you're thinking. Now I need you to slow down and…" Spike starts to try and calm her down, but to no avail. Twilight bolts from her seat. Spike rested his face in one claw. "Oh no…"

" _I must clean EVERYTHING!"_ Twilight shrieks in panic, and then she begins dashing around the room in a blur of lavender fur and magical auras, replacing books, dusting shelves, and other such menial tasks that really look as though they don't need to be done.

"Too late," Spike deadpans. He picks up the letter and glances over it himself, and then he looks at me. "The princesses are coming to see you. I bet you're excited; just wait until you meet them. They're incredible."

"Excited...is not the word I'd use," I finally say in a shaking voice, breaking out of my stupor induced by the letter. Panic starts to set in as I rush through possible solutions to my current predicament. Tomorrow is too soon. I don't have any clothes to handle the north, and I haven't kept my word to Applejack yet. But if the princesses get here, there's no guarantee I'll ever see the light of day again, especially if I unwittingly led Twilight to one of Equestria's national 's nothing for it. I'll have to run.

"You'll be fine. Princess Celestia is really nice. I don't know too much about Princess Luna, but Twilight seems to like her as well," Spike attempts to reassure me, though I don't pay him any attention until his eyes glance back to the letter. "Hey, there's more on here."

"More?" I ask, giving Spike my full attention while I attempt to calm my rapidly beating heart.

"Yeah. Hold on, I'll read it for you," Spike obligingly says, holding up the letter to his face. "PS. As it is likely that Seth will still be present when this letter arrives, I address this portion of the letter to him directly. Make sure you read it to him; it is unlikely he will be able to read Equestrian.

Greetings, Seth. I hope you'll forgive me if I save the formal introductions until we meet, but there are a few things I'd like to make clear to you; this is not a disciplinary visit, nor do I intend to hinder you or your quest in any way. I ask only that you remain calm until such time we are able to meet."

"See, I told you you'd be fine," Spike says with a smirk after he finishes reading. "She knew you'd feel worried!"

"I don't buy it. I stumble upon a national secret and the government just wants to drop by to say hello? How stupid do you think I am?" I express. Despite the princess's reassurance, my worries are hardly lessened. Spike opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "Where is Ponyville in relation to Canterlot?"

"Huh? Well, I don't have a map in front of me, but we're about in the middle of Equestria I think. Canterlot's maybe an hour from here on train," Spike replied, confused. "Why?"

I dont answer for a minute, and then I take several deep breaths, a sense of grudging acceptance coming over me. I have to think realistically here. I'm a college student with no experience on traveling long distances, or in survival. I'm certainly not knowledgeable on how to do so undetected. If I'm this deep in Equestria, the chances of me making it to the north without being caught are essentially zero. The princesses have the resources of an entire nation. In the end, running wouldn't do me any good.

"No reason. I guess I've no choice but to meet these princesses," I concede, standing up from the table. I think I'm done here. I came here hoping to find more information on Sombra, and instead ended up being served to the princesses on a silver platter. I can only hope they're at least half as benevolent as Twilight and Spike seem to think they are. "Anyway, I think I've been here long enough. I need to start heading back."

"Already? You just got here," Spike remarks with a raised brow. I shrug. I may not have been here for long, but I've accomplished what I came to do and more. I notice Spike hesitant expression, as if he wants to say something more. Eventually he does. "Well, you should come by again. I don't have many male friends, and Twilight would love to have another egg...uh...well-read friend."

"Don't get your hopes up," is all I say in response, visibly disappointing the small dragon. With that, I turn and head for the door.

"Seth, wait!" Twilight skids to a halt in front of me just as I'm reaching for the handle. "I'm sorry again for going behind your back, and thank you for coming by to talk with me."

"Whatever. What's done is done," I reply uncomfortably.

"One more thing. The princesses will be meeting us here at dawn tomorrow. Please don't be late!" Twilight cautions me with a pleading expression.

"I won't." Without another word, I open the door and step back out in the street, leaving the librarian and her pet dragon behind.

A wall of cold air hits me the moment I step outside, causing me to immediately shiver and tuck my fingers beneath my arms. I wasn't in the library for very long, but it seems as though the temperature had dropped significantly in that short time. I've nowhere else to be today, so I quicken my pace, hoping to get back to my new place of residence as quickly as possible.

Pangs of hunger shoot through my stomach, reminding me that I've had little to eat apart today apart from breakfast and a few apples. I hope Vinyl hasn't eaten yet; meals are included in my rent, so I'd be a fool to miss one.

I've always had a reasonably sound sense of direction, so it doesn't take me very long to cross-reference landmarks in my mind and work my way through the darkened streets towards Vinyl's house.

There aren't any street lamps or anything of that sort, so before long it'll get too difficult to see. It's late, but not so late that there aren't ponies in the streets. I've been in Ponyville for a little over two days now, but it seems my presence is still new enough to warrant the cursory glances of the few passing ponies I encounter.

A cold breeze whips through the narrow streets, coursing over me like a frigid river. I wince and shrink even further into myself, but it does little to assuage the chill seeping through my skin. The way this particular street is arranged allows it to function as a natural wind tunnel, resulting in my current state.

Something flying in the breeze catches on the back of the head. The unknown object is so light that I hardly feel it, but it's enough to get me to reach up with one hand and grasp it in an attempt to get it out of my hair. It's soft and silken to the touch. When I bring it in front of me to get a closer look at it, I find a length of satin ribbon colored a pale pink fluttering gently in my palm. For some reason, it seems rather familiar, but I can't quite place where I've seen it before.

I turn around and glance for the source of the flying ribbon, but I see nothing in the streets behind me except for the odd passing pony - none of whom seem to be looking for a lost ribbon.

I shrug and continue on my way, throwing the ribbon into the nearest trash can. To avoid another wind tunnel, I cut through an alleyway and into a street that's blocked from the worst of the wind by the archway of one of the buildings. However, my detour takes me into a slightly busier street.

I hear the fluttering of wings above my head, and then a small group of pegasi land on the street ahead of me. I catch a glimpse of an all too familiar rainbow tail, so I promptly duck back into the alleyway and press my back against the wall. A feeling of foolishness crosses over me an instant later. Why should I hide from Rainbow like I've done something wrong? Granted, every encounter we've had has resulted in a fight, but she's not on her own this time. She has no reason to pay any attention to me.

With that in mind, I force myself back onto the street and resume my walk, finding myself to be far behind them now. I recognize two of the three ponies with Rainbow: one of them is Flitter, and the other is the messy-maned mare that was with her when I first met her. I believe Flitter called her Cloud. The third I don't recognize; a mare with a lavender blue coat and a golden yellow mane.

Cloud appears to be attempting to comfort Flitter about something, judging from the way she has a single leg wrapped around her shoulders and is talking to her in a soft voice. They're walking slowly, so if I keep up my current pace, I'll have to pass them.

Eventually, as I get closer, I notice that something seems off about Flitter apart from the fact that she seems upset. It hits me a moment later: she's missing the pink bow that's typically in her mane. I immediately make the connection to the ribbon I'd seen earlier. I recall that she's a weather pony along with Rainbow; no doubt it must have come undone while she was up there in that heavy wind.

Honestly, it's not my business that she lost her ribbon. I may have seen it, but I'm not by any means obligated to help her. Considering that she and Rainbow have caused me no end of trouble, I have even less reason to go out of my way to help her. In fact, I might even go so far as to say this is karma for siccing the attack dog that is Rainbow Dash on me.

I pause and shake my head, disgusted with myself. I may have my issues with her and her pushy attitude, but that's no reason to wish ill on her. All it takes is one more look at Flitter's distraught face to spur me into action. Heaving a sigh, I pivot on my heel and head back to the alleyway trash can. I can't believe I'm doing this.

Luckily, finding the ribbon is easy enough. The trash must have been taken away before I tossed in the ribbon, because the can is empty except for the aforementioned accessory. I pick up the ribbon, and after determining that it's clean, I return to the street and make my way to the group of pegasi.

The unfamiliar mare spots me first with a gasp. She leans her head towards her friends, never taking her eyes off of me. "Don't look now, but I think the human is coming," she whispers to them. All three of them turn to look, surprise etched on their faces.

"Seth's here?" Rainbow reacts first, her gaze falling upon me. Her eyes narrow, and she protectively steps in front of her friends, blocking my path to Flitter. "Great. What in the hay do you want? Here to snap at somepony else for no reason?"

"I am so not in the mood for this," I sigh, picking up on her guardedly hostile tone immediately. I decide to ignore her and turn to the one I actually have business with. "Flitter?"

"Oh! Um...yes?" Flitter jumps at being addressed. She nervously runs a hoof through her mane and hesitantly meets my gaze.

"Hey, you leave her alone! You've already done enough!" Rainbow doesn't seem like she's going to let me get a word in edgewise.

"Shut up, Rainbow. I'm not even talking to you. Why don't you keep your nose out of my business for once?" I snap at her venomously, causing her to recoil briefly. She looks like she's about to shoot right back, so I quickly turn back to Flitter and produce the ribbon from my pocket. Her eyes lock on to it and a happy gasp escapes her. "Here. I noticed you were missing this."

"That's my ribbon! You found it!" Flitter gratefully takes the ribbon from my hand with her mouth, and then she passes it to Cloud, who starts to tie it back into Flitter's mane. She looks up at me with a bright smile, her former melancholy and nervousness swiftly melting away. "I can't thank you enough! I thought I'd lost that forever when the heavy winds took it away!"

"You...wait what?" Rainbow's mouth opens and closes repeatedly, my gesture taking her completely by surprise. She looks between Flitter and me. "Did you just...help her?"

"You nearly did. I found it by chance, and I figured it must be important, considering I've never seen you without it on," I respond to Flitter, once again ignoring Rainbow completely. All it takes is one look at her sparkling eyes and I start to regret doing this for her. "Well, you have it back now. So if you'll excuse me."

I take a step back and pass by the surprised and perplexed mares, but I don't get very far before a pair of furry legs wrap around my waist in a hug, halting my progress. I feel her cheek pressing against my back, causing me to shiver somewhat.

"Really, thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't get this back," Flitter expresses softly. I rub my forehead, my regret over helping her only intensifying. "It was a birthday gift from my family."

"What are you doing? Get off me," I extricate myself from her grip uncomfortably. "I don't need you reading any further into this. I only gave it back to you because I happened to find it. So _if you'll excuse me._ "

Flitter looks like she wants to say something further, but in the end she just nods and moves back to her friends, the four of them watching me as I make my retreat. As I go, I unintentionally catch the front end of their next conversation.

"I thought you said he was a jerk," Cloud emits, much to my dismay.

"He is! Just wait until you hear…" Rainbow begins, but then I become too far away to hear the rest.

The moment Vinyl's house comes into view, I quicken my pace and bear the frigid air just long enough to throw open the door and rush inside. Once I'm inside, I sigh in relief. The combination of the warmer air temperature and my efforts to warm myself through friction helps to bring the color back into my chilled skin.

I've been out of the house all day, so I decide that a shower would be a good idea so I don't dirty the bedsheets. As I head towards the kitchen, I notice Vinyl sprawled out on her back over the arm of the couch in the living room. Her hooves are splayed out every which way, her mouth is wide open, and her shades are barely hanging onto her face. She's clearly asleep. That being said, that's one of the most undignified sleeping positions I've ever seen. One corner of my mouth turns up ever so slightly in a somewhat amused smirk.

As I'm walking up the stairs to the bathroom, it occurs to me that I won't have anything decent to wear when I meet the princesses in the morning. Rarity won't have any outfits complete by dawn, though even if she did, I wouldn't have time to visit her. Therefore, all I have are these jeans, and they're in desperate need of a good cleaning.

When I walk by the laundry room, I note the complicated dials and Equestrian writing on the machinery, and thus determine that I'll have to wake up Vinyl after my shower. I pause a moment, coming up with a better way to handle this.

Backtracking down the stairs, I make my way to the couch where Vinyl is sleeping and call out to her. Unfortunately, Vinyl is out like a light, and repeated calls fail to stir her. Rolling my eyes, I reach forward and place my palm upon her belly just long enough to shake her into wakefulness.

"Wha-huh? Whassat?" Vinyl lurches awake with a start, her shades falling off of her face in the process. She spots me and my retreating hand, realizing what had happened. She clapped her front hooves to her face and shuddered. Despite her efforts, I can still see her eyelids drooping. "Oh, hey Seth. I'm awake, I swear."

"I thought you weren't going to do anything today. What got you so exhausted?" I ask curiously. "You looked as though somebody had knocked you senseless."

"Bro, I was up at dawn, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that. I tried doing some mixing to pass the time, and… well… guess I got tired" Vinyl explains unashamedly. She sets her shades on a nearby end table, and then she stands up and stretches out her body, not caring that I'm standing right in front of her. I turn my gaze as she does so. "Any particular reason you woke me up? I'm sure it wasn't just to give me a belly rub."

"I have an important meeting tomorrow, so I'd like to get my clothes washed. I woke you because I don't have a clue how to operate your washing machine," I explain to her, choosing to ignore her last sentence.

"Cool. I was meaning to teach you sooner or later anyway. Follow me and I'll show you how to use it." Vinyl nods understandingly, and gestures for me to follow her back towards the kitchen where the stairs are located. Before long, we're standing in front of the laundry room, where the two machines that I assume are the washer and dryer are located. Just like all of the other seemingly modern-era technology that ponies possess, a crystalline orb is set into each of the machines on the control panel. "Do you mind if I ask you an awkward question?"

"If you want. I may or may not answer, depending on what it is," I return, crossing my arms. For her to preface her question by asking if I minded… suffice to say, I'm a little hesitant to hear it.

"I promise I don't mean this in a weird way, but are you like a stallion or a minotaur?" Vinyl asks, looking somewhat wry. When she notices my visible lack of understanding, she revises. "Let me try this. Your clothes won't be done for at least an hour, and as far as I know that's your only set. Do you need something else to wear while you wait?"

"Oh. In that case, definitely. Thank you for not making me have to explain that," I reply, catching her meaning. Vinyl snickers at that. "Do you have anything I can wear?"

"A towel, maybe. I don't think my pants would fit you, and I don't even have that many; I just don't like to wear them. They're so restricting," Vinyl suggests, indicating a nearby linen closet. I know it's due to a difference in culture, but her words immediately make me uncomfortable. Despite what she looks like, she still sounds like a woman. "If it helps, I gotta make food anyway, so I'll stay downstairs while you wait."

"That works," I affirm after a moment's thought. I return my gaze to the two machines. "So what do these characters mean? I'm familiar with washers and dryers, but I don't know your language."

"Don't worry, I got you. So basically, you can ignore half of these settings," Vinyl starts to explain, using her hoof to gesticulate her words. "I don't even know what they do, and I've never needed them. See, you got your casual wash here. Set the dial at this line here; literally always leave load size at super, my water bill's not bad; and use cold water unless you want to wreck your dye. The soap's on the top shelf here."

"Sounds basically how I used to handle it back at college," I emit wryly, thankful for the familiarity. "I bet you don't sort your laundry either."

"Dude, I have like, seven shirts and a jacket. Why would I do that?" Vinyl retorts with an amused grin. She then turns to the dryer. "This one's easy. Set the dial here and hit start. Boom."

"What about fabric softener?" I query. Vinyl responds by briefly lifting up a box filled with thin dryer sheets and giving me a telling look. I suppose that covers everything I'd need to know. In essence it's not all that different from the machines in my era. "Thanks. I think I can handle it from here."

"No prob. I'll go and get dinner started then. Grab a towel from the linen closet when you're ready to come down." With one last nod, Vinyl retreats back down the stairs and into the kitchen, leaving me to my own devices.

I follow her instructions and load my jeans, boxers, and socks into the washing machine along with a small amount of detergent, and then I start up the machine. Interestingly enough, the crystalline orb in the control panel glows with a soft light as the washer hums to life. I peer closer curiously at the orb. It's hard to describe at what I'm looking; the glow is similar to the aura that appears whenever a unicorn uses magic, which would support my theory that some sort of magical circuitry is involved in the machine's construction.

Still thinking about the orb, I place my rifle in my room and then start up the shower, where I begin to clean away the day's accumulation of dirt and sweat. The warm water feels heavenly on my exhausted body; it's anyone's guess how I haven't collapsed by now. I take this time to relax, letting the water wash away my anxiety about the day to come, even if only briefly.

When I'm finished, I dry myself off and move up to the mirror. I wince at what I see. My hair is continuing to accumulate grease, and the shower isn't doing much to resolve that problem. It might be a good idea to do some experimentation with pony hair products before the grease becomes too noticeable. Not to mention, although I typically have a hard time growing facial hair, I'd like to have some sort of razor I can use.

I suddenly realize what I'm doing and scoff, turning away from the mirror. My appearance doesn't really matter anymore. Sombra won't care if my hair is greasy, so I shouldn't either. The most I do is neaten my hair by borrowing Vinyl's comb, which looks like it's never been used.

Using the towel with which I'd dried off as makeshift clothing, I step out of the bathroom and move to the washing machine, which appears to have concluded its cycle. After loading it into the dryer, I make my way downstairs to see what Vinyl's making for dinner. As I descend, I can hear her humming to herself. Interestingly enough, her pitch is excellent and her tone is pleasant on my ears. I wonder if she adds vocals to any of her performances.

Before I step into the kitchen, I make sure the towel is fastened securely around my waist. The moment I step inside, Vinyl turns to look at me with those magenta eyes of hers. "Welcome back. I'm just about done here," she greets me with the same relaxed tone as ever.

I glance at the counter to see a salad bowl filled with a strange mashup of flowers, lettuce, and fruit. Next to it is an opened loaf of sliced bread, as well as a pile of what looks like hay. The purpose of it all becomes clear as Vinyl places a clump of the makeshift salad onto the bread along with some hay to form a sandwich.

"Humans can't eat hay, Vinyl," I remind her before she can do the same to mine. She grimaces at that.

"Well I don't envy you there. Hay can taste darn good if you make it right," Vinyl expresses. She obligingly prepares a sandwich for me while excluding the hay and presents it to me along with a glass of water. "What kind of soft drinks can you handle?"

"To be honest, I've no idea what kind of soft drinks ponies even have," I admit, accepting the food from her and moving to the table. I take note of the small can that Vinyl is carrying with her; I guess it's not all that strange that ponies would have carbonated drinks. They were invented somewhere in the 19th century, after all. "I can't afford to get sick if I can't handle them, either."

"That's no fun," Vinyl laments, looking at me oddly as she cracks open the can. Sure enough, I can hear the hiss of air escaping the opening. She sits down at the table across from me and munches on her sandwich. "So how was work with Applejack?"

"I can't complain. I didn't expect Rainbow to be there, though," I reply, taking a bite of my own sandwich. The taste is odd and the texture leaves much to be desired, but it's not altogether unpleasant. "I keep running into her and it's beginning to get on my nerves."

"Yeah, I heard you two don't get along," Vinyl replies with a knowing expression and a nod. "Mind if I ask why? She's actually really chill, and I can't think of a more loyal friend."

"I can't possibly imagine how you see that in her," I respond with a hint of venom in my voice, causing Vinyl to wince. Noticing that, I take a deep breath. It's obvious that she and Rainbow are friends, so it would be ill-advised for me to badmouth her. "I don't want to get into it, but I just can't stand people… or in this case ponies… like her, who think they're all that."

"I guess there is a bit of that, but… didn't you dance with her at the Cake's party?" Vinyl insists, touching upon the one topic that I would have given anything not to have to discuss. "Why would you do that if…"

"Can we _please_ not talk about that?" I cut across her, causing Vinyl to recoil at the edge in my voice. "I don't care for her. Let's just leave it at that."

"Alright, chill. Was just curious, is all," Vinyl retracts with a perplexed expression and a shrug. "More importantly, what's your day look like tomorrow? Got time for another gig?"

"I…" I pause, finding that question to be harder to answer than I'd initially thought. "I don't know know how to answer that question."

"What do you mean? You don't work after six, right?" Vinyl presses.

"Normally I'd say yes, but I actually have an engagement in the morning...and I've no idea what the consequences of such will be. There's a chance I might not be here after that," I reveal to her.

"I thought you said you weren't leaving until the snows came?" Vinyl asks with a raised brow.

"Yes well. That was until the princesses decided my presence warranted their immediate attention. They're coming to see me tomorrow at dawn," I retort with annoyance. Vinyl responds by dropping her drink on the table, her eyes steadily widening.

"The princesses are coming here? _To my house!?"_ Vinyl's voice abruptly rises in pitch. She stands up and places her two front hooves on the table as she looks around the mess that is her house. "Oh no no no...everything's a mess, and I have those cords that need to get rolled up, and there's dust everywhere…"

"Relax. I'm meeting them at Twilight's library tomorrow. You don't have to do anything," I interrupt her before she can get too frantic. I wonder if all the ponies react to hearing about a visit from the princesses by wanting to clean everything they own. "My point is that I don't trust that they won't take me away somewhere. Celestia said she wouldn't, but I don't trust that."

"Sheesh, don't freak me out like that." Vinyl relaxes back into her chair, a heavy sigh escaping her. She doesn't seem at all concerned about the point that I just made. "Now you're the one who should relax. I've never met the princess up close, but I hear nothing but good things about her; especially since we have her personal student in town. If Princess Celestia said she's not gonna foalnap you, then she's not gonna. Honestly, I'm a little jealous you get to meet her personally."

"Good that one of us thinks so. I don't trust authority figures. They've too much power and not enough accountability," I counter in a bitter voice. Vinyl tilts her head at that.

"Princess Celestia has done nothing but do right by us, dude. Equestria has been peaceful and happy since long before I was born because of her," Vinyl argues back, the mare starting to sound irritated. "Give her a chance before you start implying she's a tyrant."

"Twilight said the same thing to me. At the very least, she's done something different if she's got her ponies defending her so easily," I admit.

Despite my misgivings, that alone is enough to warrant thought; politicians in my time were a dime a dozen. They all had different ideals they wanted to pursue, different policies they wanted to implement, and different offices for which they wanted to run. However, they all had one thing in common: people had vastly differing opinions on them, ranging from the fanatically positive to the fanatically negative. Yet Princess Celestia is spoken well of by all the ponies that talk about her.

"I guess we'll see," I finally concede, deciding that further argument on the matter is pointless. "To answer your question, I'll be available provided I'm not detained."

"You'll be fine. You gotta tell me what they're like up close when I see you tomorrow evening," Vinyl assures me, her tone returning to normal. With that, the two of us finish up our meals and start to get ready for bed. "You go on and head upstairs. I'll handle the dishes."

"Okay. Then I'm heading to bed," I respond. After checking to make sure my towel is fastened properly, I rise from the table and climb the stairs to the second level. It sounds like the dryer is finished, so I unload my freshly cleaned clothes and take them to my room with me.

I shut the door behind me, set the clothes down on the desk, and move to sit down on the bed. I don't know if I'll be able to get much sleep, but it's refreshing to finally be alone for the first time today.

This world is surreal. I've been able to mask my feelings and just force myself through the day, but I can't get over how weird it is. I'm living in a town filled with oddly shaped talking ponies. I sometimes have a hard time believing that any of this is real. If it weren't for the burning rage I feel inside of me to keep me focused on my task, I honestly don't know where I'd be.

I lay back and stare at the ceiling and think about what might happen tomorrow. My thoughts clash together chaotically and jump from one possible scenario to the next. I try to tell myself that whatever happens tomorrow will happen, but it doesn't much help. As the imagined scenarios get increasingly more negative, I heave a sigh.

"I'm never going to get to sleep."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Took me several months to get this out, because I once again found myself without a job, so I had to run through that song and dance again. Also I had to move out of my parents house far earlier than I expected, so that's another thing.

So, when first writing this chapter, I realized that the original had a lot of useless filler in it. As a result, I did a lot of cutting and restructuring in order to get this chapter to flow better. One of the most notable changes is that I cut the Derpy scene, and instead replaced it with one for Flitter, to continue that particular subplot. That choice was fueled by my readers' desire to see more Flitter, as she went wholly forgotten in the original. I was also able to tie in some more Rainbow in the process.

Also, please join me in welcoming some new help! ScootalooFTW unfortunately had to step down from an editing position permanently, but in his place came scaredofbs, who I picked out personally to help me in my writing efforts! So far she's done an excellent job!

Thanks to Brave-Hooves, Insidiaphilia, and scaredofbs for editing this, and please don't forget to leave a comment telling me what you think!

If you'd like to join our growing community (which now has a minecraft server) on Discord, please don't hesitate to come join! Send me a request at darkterraform # 4122!


	11. The Royal Sisters

A long hallway stretches out before me, the walls covered with bulletin boards, posters, or science-themed decorative art. I plod ever forward towards the door at the far end, the blinding light of the sun piercing through the windows. I pass classroom after classroom, each room willed with faceless students listening to the murmured lectures of faceless professors.

My legs feel heavy; moving each one requires an excessive amount of effort. My thoughts are hazy, leaving me unable to think about anything other than reaching the other end of the hallway. It's funny; I don't remember the hall being this long.

The fluorescent lights on the ceiling start to flicker, periodically plunging the entire hall into a deep darkness. With every step I take, the hall rapidly deteriorates; the art grows faded and torn, bulletin boards fall off the walls, and the posters dissolve into nothing. The lights flicker faster and more irregularly; each time they go out, the air becomes filled with choking dust.

I can see the nebulous forms of people at the other end of the hallway. I squint as bright muzzle flashes erupt from their hands, the cracking of gunfire filling the air. I can hear the indistinct shouting of men and the bestial howls emanating from the throats of those long dead.

I have to keep going. I have to reach the other end of the hall. As I stumble past the splintering barricade, a few of the voices become distinct enough to hear..

" _That spell was not meant for thee!"_

" _Shit, hang on. I'm coming!"_

 _"No... not me too..."_

 _"_ _My sister and I will be arriving in Ponyville tomorrow at dawn…"_

I shudder and clap my hands to my ears and press forward, until at long last I near the door on the far end of the hallway. Yet something is wrong. The closer I get to it, the more the light of the sun dims. When I at last reach the door, nothing awaits me outside except a solid wall of rock and earth.

As I watch, the door and what lay beyond warps and dissolves, eventually forming into rusted metal bars, through which I can see an ancient stone hallway beyond. I turn around to see a dimly lit jail cell made of drab gray stone. When I look back forward and grasp the bars, I see two nebulous figures in the shape of ponies, staring at me from beyond the bars with nothing but white pinpricks of light for eyes.

 _"The issue has been addressed."_

* * *

I open my eyes with a start, my heart beating rapidly. The sheets stick to my skin oddly, causing me to realize a moment later that I'm sweating. Groaning softly, I shift into a sitting position and rest my head in my hands.

I have to face it; I can't sleep. I keep tossing and turning because I can never get comfortable, and if I'm lucky enough to get a few moments of sleep, I'm woken up an hour or so later by vivid and disturbing dreams. I don't have to be a psychologist to understand what's going through my head.

The past few days have taken their toll on me. It's easy enough to focus on putting one foot in front of the other during the day, but I can't escape the reality of my situation when I'm alone at night. It's worse than normal, due to the impending visit of the two rulers of the entire country.

A quick glance at the clock on the wall reveals that it's a little past six in the morning. Giving up on getting any more sleep, I get out of bed, grab my clothes, and head towards the shower. It's not quite dawn yet, but there's no harm in taking some extra time to get ready.

The shower helps to wake me up, but it does little to calm my nerves. Knowing who I'll be meeting, I go to the extra effort and do my best to clean every inch of my body. I'm already at a disadvantage due to the lack of any decent clothes, but I need to do everything I can to make a good first impression. It's no exaggeration to say that my life could drastically change based on the outcome of this meeting.

Once I'm dressed, I step out into the hall to see a very disheveled Vinyl, who looks as though she'd just crawled out of bed. Her eyes are barely open, so she nearly runs right into me. It takes her a few moments for her to recognize at what she's looking.

"Oh, you're already awake…" Vinyl murmurs, rubbing one eye with a hoof. "Why'd I get up again…?"

"I wasn't really sleeping anyway," I reply, shaking my head at her half-asleep self. "Go back to sleep. I'll just make breakfast myself."

"You sure? I can do the...make the…" Vinyl breaks off in order to release a wide yawn, which she doesn't even bother to cover. "...the food thing."

"You _really_ aren't a morning person," I note with some amusement after listening to her try to string two words together. She only grunts in response. "Seriously, go back to sleep."

"Don't mind if I do…" With that, Vinyl turns around and slowly plods back to her room, her tail trailing listlessly across the floor. Once she's out of sight, I return to my room just long enough to grab my rifle, and then I descend the stairs.

After eating a quick sandwich, I step outside into the chilly air. Due to it being dawn, there's no ponies in the street, and I can make my way from place to place easily. Because I've been to Twilight's library multiple times now, I've got a good idea of where it is, so it only takes me a few minutes to reach it.

The lights are on, so Twilight must already be awake. Without wasting even a single moment, I rush up to the front door and knock, my body shivering from the cold. It doesn't take long for Twilight to open the door. It appears that she's been awake for a while; her appearance looks very well tended to, her mane gleaming in the light from inside.

"Good morning, Seth! I knew I could count on you to be…" Twilight greets me, but I rush inside and past her into the warmth of the library before she can finish. Her head turns to follow me as I do so, her expression perplexed. "...early. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold," I answer, rubbing my skin vigorously to warm myself up. Twilight nods understandingly, and then she shuts the door and moves to join me. "It has no business being this cold."

"The snows are coming soon, so it makes sense. Have you thought about getting some warm clothes to compensate for your lack of fur?" Twilight suggests sensibly. "This isn't the first time I've seen you come in here shivering."

"I have. This mare named Rarity is making some for me. She wouldn't let me pay her for them, either," I mutter with some annoyance. Twilight's eyes widen with surprise. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just surprised. Rarity is very generous; knowing how you are, I never thought you'd indulge her," Twilight replies with a smile… which falters somewhat when she sees the pointed stare I give her.

"Twilight, I've known you for two days. You don't 'know how I am.' You don't even have the slightest clue," I point out for her firmly, causing her to flinch. "All Rarity did was present to me a logical argument that I could accept. That's all."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you," Twilight apologizes, taking me somewhat by surprise. "You're right, I don't know you anywhere near as well as I would like, but it's not as though you're making it easy for me, either."

"Of course I'm not," I respond. "I thought I made it clear that I'm not interested in friends. But you know that, remember? After all, I'm only here so you can share the results of your personal investigation."

"I...that's…" Twilight stammers, and then she wilts, her head lowering sadly. "Seth, I can't do this. I'm tired of having to lie and jump through hoops just to be even a little friendly with you. Why are you like this? Why won't you let anypony get close?"

I've noticed a trend ever since I arrived in Equestria. In my experience, people I snap at, for whatever reason, typically leap to the defense immediately. In some cases, that leads to name calling, the lowest form of argument. I'm told I'm guilty of this as well. But these ponies, although they can react defensively, it's for a different reason. It's hard to describe; most of the arguments I've been in have resulted in the ponies trying to figure out why I snapped. That's the difference; they ask _why._ I don't understand; if someone were to snap at me, I'd be irritated. I wouldn't ask why. Neither has anyone that I've ever dealt with. That being said, what makes ponies so different?

I stare back at her, those thoughts making me unsure what to make of her. She just admitted her lie to me, albeit not specifically, but she's not getting angry either - only depressed. I just don't understand.

"That's as personal as it gets," I say with a sigh. "If you get it, please stop asking."

"Seth, please! I just want to help you get better, but I can't do anything if you won't let me!" Twilight pleads, huffing somewhat with frustration.

"'Get better?' You say that as though I have a disease that needs to be cured," I growl, her particular choice of words striking a nerve. It wouldn't be the first time I've heard someone say something similar to me. "You and everyone else seems to think that there's something wrong with me for thinking the way that I do. If I were to walk around blindly trusting everyone I meet, how would that be any better?"

"That's not what I'm saying! All I mean is that…" Twilight begins, but then she cuts off, her head turning towards the door. Before I can ask why she stopped, a strange feeling comes over me.

It's subtle, but something about the atmosphere seems to have changed. A subtle pressure descends around me like a blanket, pressing down on my skin and causing my hairs to stand on end. The feeling is soft, but the air seems to hum. It feels almost like it did in the Everfree Forest and when Sombra was standing close to me, but it doesn't feel anywhere near as oppressive.

"What the hell…?" I emit in a low whisper, my hand moving to my rifle. From my experience, a feeling like this never precedes anything good. "Twilight, do you feel that?"

"I do. It means the princesses are here," Twilight reveals, a smile returning to her face. My eyes widen upon hearing that, and I gulp nervously. The princesses have this kind of presence!? "Come on, let's go to meet them. We'll continue this conversation later."

"No, we won't. But I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting. Lead the way," I reply, gesturing for her to go ahead. Twilight gives me a look, but chooses not to argue further. She heads towards the door, opening with her magic and stepping through with me close behind her. "How will they be arriving?"

"Whenever the princesses visit, they typically arrive in their chariots. Take a look!" Twilight answers, pointing a hoof at the skyline opposite the front door of her library. I follow her hoof, and sure enough, something is approaching high above the town from the direction of the mountain in the distance. "Oh, I can't wait!"

As it gets closer, I'm able to to make out at what precisely I'm looking. Two large chariots fly towards us, each one pulled by a team of armored pegasi about eight strong. The two chariots differ from one another in both style and colors, as do the ones pulling them. One chariot is little more than a golden platform with a raised violet tail board to prevent its occupant from flying out. The tail board is tipped by a similarly colored flag decorated with the Equestrian royal seal. To top it all off, the pegasi pulling the chariot are armored in gold and wearing plumed helmets that look almost romanesque in design.

The second, dark violet chariot appears vastly different than the other, consisting of a long and sleeker body design with a backwards curving tail board and metallic bat wings extending back from the side rails. The pegasi pulling the chariot, unlike the others, are dark coated and almost blend into the night sky. They wear armor similar in color to the chariot itself, with helmets plumed by a metal fin resembling a bat's wing and a single blue eye emblazoned on their chest plates.

The chariots wheel around and dip lower, likely intending to use the road in front of the library as a landing strip. I watch as they descend, landing on the ground with barely a sound - a testament to the skill of the fliers. They continue to run, gradually slowing their pace as they do so. As they get closer, I can better see the occupants of the chariots… and they take my breath away.

I've seen plenty of ponies since I came to ponyville. I've seen various shapes, sizes, and colors from them, so one wouldn't blame me for thinking I've seen them all. However, I would be very wrong. The two princesses are gigantic compared to the average pony, appearing to be closer in size to actual horses rather than ponies. However, that's not all that's unique about them.

The one in the golden chariot possesses a pure white coat, and unlike the typical pony, she possesses both a long sharp horn and a pair of sizable wings. I've seen normal ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, but never a combination of the three like this. According to mythology, that makes her an alicorn.

Her mane and tail are long and flowing, each colored four different shades: pale blue, magenta, pale green, and pale violet. As I watch, her mane undulates and flows as if it were flying in an unseen breeze. To top off her already regal appearance, she's wearing a golden neckpiece and a similarly colored crown, each one set with a diamond-shaped violet gemstone. In addition, she's wearing a golden shoe on each of her hooves; unlike the standard horseshoe, these flow up around her fetlocks in an ornate design as though they were designed for her specifically.

The second princess, who is also an alicorn, is significantly darker than the other, her coat a shade of midnight blue. I can best describe her mane and tail as being slices of pure night, complete with points of light resembling stars twinkling from within. Like the other princess, it too flows through the air in a non-existent breeze.

Given their appearances as well as the themes of their chariots, I can only guess that the white alicorn is Princess Celestia, and the blue alicorn is Princess Luna. Both of them have been watching me carefully ever since they caught sight of me.

Well, this is them. The two princesses that hold the power to decide my fate. Counting them as well as their guards, that makes eighteen in total. If they want to arrest me, I won't be able to stop them - plain and simple. I try to gauge their expressions; I can't tell what Celestia is thinking due to her guarded expression, but Luna is much easier to read; she's staring at me with evident suspicion.

"Princess Celestia!" Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Twilight rushes past me with a happy cry, heading directly towards the white alicorn. A warm smile breaks through Celestia's neutral expression as she steps down from the chariot and walks forward to meet with her student. "It's so good to see you!"

"I agree, my dearest student. It has been too long since I have had an excuse to visit Ponyville," Celestia responds in a mature, motherly voice. She cranes her head down to nuzzle Twilight with clear affection. She winks, a twinkle of good humor entering her voice. "It is nice to visit every once in a while without the shadow of a threat hanging over our heads."

"That remains to be seen, sister," Luna interjects, her voice sounding much sterner than Celestia. I don't miss the glare she sends my way after saying that. Despite the cold, I can feel myself sweat beneath her gaze. With just that one line, Luna made it very clear that she views me as a possible threat. This is further cemented by her next order. "Guards, establish a perimeter around the library."

"That will not be necessary, Luna. It is best we refrain from such hasty actions," Celestia countermands her sister's order immediately, much to Luna's annoyance. The lunar guards wisely choose not to move in response to either order.

At long last, Celestia turns towards me. I tense up as her magenta eyes meet my own. She appears calm and her expression is neutral, but it's difficult for me to bear the weight of her gaze. It feels almost as if she can see right through me to the deepest reaches of my soul. In the end, I can't take it and avert my eyes.

I'm beginning to feel like a cornered animal. I can tell that just from the pressure in the air that I'm dealing with someone special. I can't help but feel that even if I were to try to resist, she would overpower me in an instant. Between the princesses and the guards, I'm ultimately at their mercy, and I hate it.

"You must be the one I have heard so much about. Seth Rogers, was it?" Celestia finally speaks to me directly, the alicorn stepping delicately towards me. I have to resist the urge to step back, even as she comes right up to me. She stands just as tall as I do, her eyes directly level with mine. She dips her head politely. "I must say, it is quite the honor to meet one of our precursors. I am Princess Celestia, sovereign ruler of Equestria alongside my sister."

"And we are Princess Luna," Luna adds, joining Celestia in standing in front of me. She's shorter than Celestia, but she's still tall enough to stand nearly head to head with me. I also note that she referred to herself in the plural tense in true sovereign fashion. "Do not make any sudden moves, human."

"What the hell do you expect me to do?" I can't hold myself back anymore. A combination of the fear and unease that I've been feeling along with Luna's confrontational attitude caused me to snap before I can stop myself. "It's not like I'm stupid enough to attack you; you brought nearly a score of soldiers with you!"

"Seth!" Twilight hisses at me warningly, but it's too late. Luna's eyes narrow, clearly incensed by my words. However, Celestia doesn't give things a chance to escalate.

"Peace, both of you. This is not meant to be a confrontational visit," Celestia interjects, placing a hoof on her sister's breastplate. "I know how you feel, sister, Seth is a visitor to our land. I for one, intend to treat him with all the courtesy befitting that of a guest."

"At least one of you does," I mutter, trembling somewhat at how close I'd come to pissing off one of the two princesses. Despite my nervousness, however, I have no doubt that they'll walk all over me if I let them. "That sounds good and all, but why did you come here to see me personally? Forgive me if the sight of all these soldiers does little to assure me of your 'peaceful intentions.'"

"Of course, I apologize if we have made you anxious in any way," Celestia replies with an understanding nod. Her words are polite and reasonable and she appears to be more level-headed than her sister, but my worries aren't lessened in the slightest. "Before we get to the purpose of this meeting, shall we relocate to someplace more comfortable? Twilight?"

"Of course, Princess! My library is always open to you. Let's go inside where it's warm," Twilight offers, telekinetically opening the door to her library. She steps inside first and beckons to us with her head. That sounds like the best idea I've heard all morning.

"Guards; remain on standby until our return," Luna orders as the three of us follow Twilight inside the library. Once we're inside, Twilight shuts the door behind us and then leads us to a group of four cushions arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. We each pick one of the cushions and take a seat.

"Now then, shall we begin?" Celestia begins, returning her gaze to me. Much to my surprise, a smile forms on her face. "Welcome to Equestria, Seth. Do you mind if I call you Seth?"

"I prefer it," I reply awkwardly, unsure how to respond to her friendly and informal welcome.

"Thank you. Now, I am sure you must have many questions. Feel free to ask us anything that you would like to know," Celestia continues.

"Wait, what? You're going to let me start? I thought you were coming here for something serious; not for me to play twenty questions with you," I query, utterly perplexed.

"There are other issues that we must discuss, it is true. However, I am not blinded to your situation either. To my understanding, you are the first human to appear in Equestria for over three millennia, and it was not by choice or with prior knowledge. I can only imagine how disoriented and confused you must feel," Celestia reveals, accurately describing my current situation. "I would be more than happy to help alleviate any of your concerns."

"That's…" I spent most of last night thinking about how this meeting could potentially turn out. I processed scores of different scenarios, but none of them were even close to what is occurring now. I don't know how to respond to this. "...not what I expected from you at all."

"And just what _did_ you expect?" Luna enters the conversation at last, the princess gazing at me with an accusatory glint in her eyes.

"At best, to be arrested and carted off to your dungeons for your scientists and such to poke and prod at. At worst...well...I wasn't sure if I could expect to walk out of here." I decide to be honest and blunt to see how the two of them would react.

"Absolutely not," Celestia rejects, appearing appalled. "I can only assume you draw these conclusions from experience with or hearsay on leadership in your own era. Putting that aside, you are a newcomer to Equestria, and as its sovereigns, we only wish to help you feel welcome. I did my best to express that in the letter I sent yesterday evening."

"You did, but I didn't believe you. I'm still not sure I do," I admit, crossing my arms.

"How dare you insinuate that our sister would lie?!" Luna snaps, her voice rising to an unnatural level. I'm taken aback by how much power is behind her voice. Even Twilight ducks down and covers her ears.

"See what I mean? You talk a good game, but your sister looks ready to take my head off at any given moment." As unsettling as that was, I do my best to ignore Luna and focus on Celestia.

"Please, you must forgive her. She does not entirely trust your species," Celestia explains apologetically. She gives Luna a telling glance afterwards, resulting in the shorter princess huffing.

"How can we? We have studied your literature and archaeology; your species has shown nothing but a propensity for war, death, and other such atrocities! We trust you no more than we would trust Discord!" Luna points out defensively.

"I can't blame you," I reply with a sigh, my agreement taking both princesses by surprise. If they've read our literature, there's no hiding our violent nature. "Humanity has been invading and killing each other since the dawn of time. I certainly wouldn't trust another human."

"You admit your untrustworthiness freely?" Luna asks, her brow wrinkling with suspicion.

"No, I'm merely acknowledging what you've studied. The fact is, you know nothing about me, and I know nothing about you. Honestly, if you didn't show some level of suspicion, you would have to be desperately naive," I counter her with a shrug. Celestia's ears twitch, her smile fading away. "Therefore, I trust you about as much as you trust me."

"It appears Twilight was right about your cynicism, Seth," Celestia observes, rejoining the conversation. "To one such as you, my approach may indeed seem naive. However, if there's anything I've learned from my long years of life, it's that one cannot judge another by their species, or even by the actions of their ancestors. Everyone deserves a chance, no matter who they are."

"Long years of life? What are you talking about? You don't look old in the slightest," I retort. I don't know how to judge a pony's age by looking at them, but I can tell if a pony is old. I've seen Granny Smith, and that was a line I'd expect to hear from one of her age.

"Oh! Well, I appreciate that," Celestia chuckles in response. "However, my sister and I are rather unique, compared to the average pony. We have been in power ever since Discord's initial defeat over a millennia ago."

It takes a moment for that number to sink in.

"What?" is all I can say at first. My eyes widen when I start to grasp the implications. I can hardly fathom the fact that I as a human could potentially live to a hundred years; the idea of someone living for over a thousand years is… I can't even comprehend that. "You're kidding. You're telling me you're immortal?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. At the very least, the passing of time has had no effect on us ever since we reached maturity," Celestia answers.

"You've been ruling Equestria for over a thousand years?" I ask incredulously. I receive a solemn nod from Celestia in response.

This is very hard to believe. Not only is Equestria a land of magical ponies, but it's a land ruled by two immortal princesses. As ridiculous as that sounds, the pieces start to fall into place. If the princesses were alive this long, it would make sense how their names have been adopted into everyday expressions. It also explains how Celestia's visage is present on the country's currency, as well as the fact that they seem to be almost worshipped.

"That's certainly...something." That is an understatement. That admission threw me for a loop. This world gets stranger and stranger with every passing moment. "Alright, I'll acknowledge your experience. But in the end this really changes nothing. Whether or not you're willing to trust me, I don't trust so easily, and neither does your sister, it seems."

"That is quite alright; I appreciate your honesty," Celestia acknowledges with a dip of her head. "All I ask for is the opportunity to earn your trust."

I stare back at her, finding it difficult to get a read on her. Her words seem sincere, but there could be any number of reasons that she'd want me on her good side. She is royalty, after all, so this meeting could mean a lot for her. My gut instinct is to err on the side of caution and assume she has some other motive behind this supposed kindness, but there's something about her and the way she conducts herself that leaves me guessing.

"Well then, if you want to help me so much; you said you'd answer any of my questions?" If she is telling the truth and she won't hinder my quest, then there's only one question that I need to ask. When Celestia nods, I continue. "Where can I find King Sombra?"

"So it is true," Luna responds, her expression darkening. She and Celestia exchange glances. "He does have some knowledge about our old enemy."

"Indeed. Perhaps it is best if we cut to the heart of the matter," Celestia concurs. For the first time, I start to feel as though I'm finally back on track. Judging from Luna's response alone, they possess the knowledge I've been seeking for days. "I will honor my word and answer your question, but first, would you mind telling us more about your experience with him? It is to my understanding that he is the reason you are here."

"'Old enemy?' So this is the reason you're here, then," I observe.

"In part. It was the reason for the expedience," Celestia admits. "Rest assured, I was intending to meet you regardless."

"If you're willing to tell me what I want to know, I guess I'm grateful for said expedience," I reply. Sighing, I allow myself to recall what happened on that day three thousand years ago. "To answer your question, it happened back in my time. It was just a normal day until I met Sombra in the stairwell of the school I studied at. He seemed to be preparing some kind of spell, and by accident, I interrupted it and became its target. He seemed angry, but after deciding that I was apparently what he was looking for, he left. Not long after that, I passed out and woke up in this timeline with literally everything trying to kill me."

"I actually have a theory about that spell," Twilight enters the conversation for the first time, gaining our attention. "Time travel is an exceedingly difficult spell. Not only does it require an extremely delicate control of one's own mana, but also a thorough understanding of theoretical and quantum physics. As far as we know, only one pony has ever succeeded in creating such a spell."

"Starswirl the Bearded," Celestia affirms, nodding in agreement. "Do you mean to imply that King Sombra somehow gained knowledge of his work?"

"That would be impossible. The only known copy of that spell is locked away in our royal archives," Luna rejects with a shake of her head. "We tended to those wards ourselves."

"The only _known_ copy," Celestia corrects her. "We cannot rule out the possibility."

"I don't know anything about King Sombra, but it would take generations to create a spell so refined from scratch," Twilight conjectures. "It's the only way I can think of. However, I don't understand how he circumvented the mana expenditure and upkeep. He would need an exorbitant amount of mana just to travel that far back in time, much less remain."

"Yet, I am inclined to agree with you. If I remember correctly, there is a noticeable disconnect between time spent in the past and time absent from the present," Celestia recalls. Despite the fact that none of this is relevant to my ultimate question, I can't help but listen with interest. "During its experimentation phase, it was first assumed that only a moment would pass in the present, no matter how long the user spent in the past. However, this is not the case. While it is true that less time passes in the present than is spent in the past, this gap widens the longer the user spends in the past. Sister, do you see where I am going with this?"

"I do. The evidence fits the theory," Luna admits. She turns her gaze back to me. "I suppose I will believe your story. There was a time where King Sombra and several of his soldiers and generals inexplicably went missing for a full week before our final confrontation with him. If what you are saying is true, then his absence is because of his presence in your era."

"Did you say 'confrontation?' Just who is this King Sombra?" Twilight asks the two princesses curiously. I lean forward, anxious to hear the answer as well. Celestia looks to Luna, and then back to us, a grim expression crossing her face.

"To explain fully, it would be best if I started from the very beginning," Celestia decides. Her horn lights up with a golden aura, and a small pink crystal emerges from her mane. She sets it down on the floor in the middle of our circle. "Over a millenia ago, there once existed a kingdom in the Frozen North known as the Crystal Empire."

"I knew it!" Twilight suddenly exclaims. When the princesses look at her, she quails and chuckles sheepishly. "I mean...um...please continue."

Celestia's horn lights up once again, a thin beam of golden light emerging from the tip and striking the crystal. The crystal lights up, and as I watch in awe, it emits rays of cyan light that form into a scaled holographic image of an enormous city consisting of various buildings built in a circular pattern around one gigantic central tower. The buildings and tower all seem to be constructed of some kind of crystalline material, adhering to the theme of the empire. Pony civilization or not, the city is a wonder to behold.

"The magic of the Crystal Empire was great indeed; not only did it stave away the frigid temperatures and vicious wintry storms of the north, but it also resulted in crystals growing from the ground as easily as crops. Even the resident ponies themselves adopted a crystalline appearance," Celestia describes the empire with a wistful tone. Her tale seems completely fantastic and difficult to believe right off of the bat, but Twilight is eating it right up, scribbling down as much as she can into a notepad. "Not only that, but the magic of the Crystal Heart, the embodiment of the hope and love of the citizens, was strong enough to blanket all of Equestria with an aura of positivity, enriching the land and lifting spirits for miles around."

The hologram zooms in into the city streets, giving me a level of detail and field of view that makes me feel as though I'm actually there, flying through the city. We fly beneath the base of the tower, where a glowing crystalline heart rotates slowly in a complicated crystal apparatus.

"Under the leadership of Princess Amore, the Crystal Empire enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity, trading their home-grown crystals with other kingdoms for resources they did not possess. Their culture was rich and their history was long, allowing them to bring in a healthy flow of tourism from the surrounding kingdoms. Even Equestria itself was on good terms with the Crystal Empire; Princess Amore always was a good friend of ours."

"Unfortunately, this all came to an end when Sombra appeared," Celestia continues sadly. The hologram pans up and away from the city, flying several miles through the frozen wasteland until it settled upon an icy clifftop. Atop the cliff stood a dark figure at the head of a colossal army. As the hologram flies us in closer, I recognize the figure immediately, despite how different he looks.

"That's him. There's no doubt about it," I confirm. Sombra appears just as I remember him complete with his armor, flowing cape, and crown… albeit with one difference. In this hologram he appears as a unicorn with a vicious crimson horn sharpened to a lethal point. Just seeing him again causes a familiar rage to surface in me.

I recoil when I take a second look at the army behind him. Although there are some live ponies behind him, most of his army appear to be long dead members of various species. I see ponies with their skin rotting and sagging, others with their bones showing through, and some appearing completely skeletal. There are also what look like wild animals such as bears, tigers, and birds of prey. Nothing with that degree of decomposition could be alive, yet I see them clearly moving as if they were. There's only one word to describe them: undead. Even Twilight gasps at their horrifying visages.

Additionally, two ponies stood on the clifftop a few feet behind Sombra. They consisted of a tannish orange pegasus with a dark mane, and a bespectacled dark-furred unicorn. From their stature, it was clear that they possessed some authority.

"There's no clear records of Sombra's origin; some claim him to be the progeny of an ancient race long since sealed away, while others believe him to be a former citizen of the empire. All we know is that one day, he appeared at the head of a massive army, possessing an enormous magical strength and ruthlessness to match. His lust for power and his desire for retribution against Princess Amore led him to invade the empire with everything he had."

The hologram shifts yet again, panning back over to the Crystal Empire once more. However, the city looks vastly different than it first appeared. Unlike the glittering and graceful structures from before, in their place stood a city that was black and twisted. The crystal structures were now blackened and decorated with jagged spikes, and the tower itself appears as a spire of darkness, corrupted by Sombra's foul magic.

"It was over in a single day. Sombra's power was unreal, and not even Princess Amore could halt his advance. In the end, she and her army were defeated, and Sombra usurped her position and declared himself King of the Crystal Empire. Those that did not pledge themselves to his service were enslaved or killed, and the once proud empire became a shriveled husk of what it used to be, occupied only by evil," Celestia finishes. The light from her horn dims, and the hologram dissipates. "That is King Sombra. That is the one you encountered."

I sit there quietly for several moments, committing what I'd just heard to memory. It seems as though pursuing Sombra will be much more difficult than I initially expected. I knew he was strong, but he'll be incredibly difficult to touch if he rules an empire of that size. Nevertheless, I know everything there is to know about him now, as well as where to find him. I've accomplished everything I've set out to do in Ponyville. My time here will soon come to an end.

"That's...that's horrible! Seth told me that he was a monster, but to kill and enslave all of those poor ponies...he belongs in Tartarus!" Twilight expresses fervently, her notepad laying forgotten in the wake of her newfound devastation. "Princess, why did you keep his existence a secret? If he's still out there, he has to be stopped!"

"There is more to it than that. Before I answer, however, there is something I must ask Seth," Celestia turns her attention to me, her expression grave and her gaze piercing. "What is it you intend to do if you find him?"

"I'm going to put him through every inch of the pain and suffering he inflicted upon me," I answer with a growl, my hand tightening around my rifle. Twilight looks at me in horror, Luna looks at me with a guarded expression, while Celestia just releases a soft sigh. "Then I'm going to bring an end to his reign… permanently."

"Seth! I know you said you had grievances, but don't you think that's taking it too far?" Twilight immediately protests. "I agree he has to be stopped, but…"

"Twilight, do you know what happened to the human race?" I interrupt her in a dangerously calm voice. Twilight blinks at the sudden change in topic. "Do any of you know?"

"Unfortunately we do not. Although there are plenty of theories as to why our precursors vanished, there was not much left in the way of records left behind," Celestia replies with uncertainty.

"The most popular theory is overpopulation or exhaustion of resources," Twilight adds, producing a separate notepad containing what's most likely her notes on the subject. "This theory is supported by the several underground bunkers we've discovered in which a great deal of humans appear to have once taken residence."

"Tis far more likely they simply self-destructed. Considering their history, this would not surprise me," Luna snorts, shaking her head at Twilight's theory. Honestly, if I didn't know better, both of those theories I wouldn't have trouble believing. In my era, I would hear of shortages of resources here and there, and there were always articles over how our population was growing too fast. Additionally, considering the political climate at the time, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to consider self-destruction either.

"Seth, do you know something?" Celestia presses in a soft voice. Judging by the way she's looking at me, I think she knows what I'm about to reveal.

"Sombra murdered every single damn one of them, down to the last man, woman, and child," I answer simply. Twilight gasps, distraught, while Luna lifts a hoof to her mouth in shock. Only Celestia doesn't appear surprised, the princess lowering her head with a look of deep sadness on her face. "There's nobody left. It's just me."

"We are… sorry that you had to endure such tragedy," Luna chokes out, despite her earlier distrust of me.

"I...I don't know what to say," Twilight says weakly, looking at me with liquid eyes. Understanding suddenly dawns in her eyes, and she looks at me in a new light. "I think I understand. Is that why you won't let anypony close?"

"Are you serious?" I snap at her, suddenly irritated. "What does it matter? Nobody asked you to draw conclusions about the way I act, and I certainly don't need your understanding."

"That's not what I...I'm just...I'm sorry," Twilight murmurs after a short pause. She hangs her head, sniffling somewhat. She takes a moment to wipe her eyes with a hoof.

"Seth." Celestia once again calls for my attention, the princess watching me solemnly with veiled worry in her eyes. "Is vengeance truly your goal?"

"It is," I confirm, equally as seriously. "I will be leaving Ponyville and headed north as soon as I've gathered the supplies I need. You promised you would not hinder me, remember?"

"I did, and I intend to keep my word. However, there is something you must know first," Celestia asserts. Rather than clarifying further, she turns to address Twilight and Luna. "I would like to speak with Seth privately. I hope you don't mind. What comes next I believe he would not want others to witness."

"What are you talking about?" I demand, a feeling of dread seeping into my body. Twilight and Luna both look at one another, perplexed, but in the end they both rise from their cushions and make their way towards the stairs in the back.

"Very well, we trust your judgment. We shall wait upstairs for you to finish your discourse," Luna says obligingly. She gives me one last look, and then she ushers Twilight towards the stairs. "We trust you won't mind if we answer Twilight's questions?"

"Not at all. Thank you for understanding," Celestia replies gratefully. She remains still until Luna and Twilight are both out of the room, and then she taps her horn briefly against the horse head statue on the table. For a brief moment, the ambient sound of the room is distorted. Noticing my confusion, she explains. "I have just cast a spell to dampen any sound waves that attempt to pass beyond a certain radius around this statue."

"Why is that necessary?" I ask hesitantly. "What is it that you don't want Luna or Twilight hearing?"

"Nothing, if I'm being entirely honest. The privacy is more for your sake rather than theirs," Celestia answers enigmatically. "Seth, I would like you to listen very carefully to what I have to say."

"Go ahead then," I supply, the feeling of dread only intensifying.

"I will be blunt. I would like you to abandon your plans for vengeance," Celestia tells me seriously.

"That's not going to happen," I respond instantly, a surge of anger coloring my tone. "I can't believe you'd even say that. Didn't you promise me that you wouldn't hinder me?"

"I did promise, and I intend to honor that. Please, just hear me out," Celestia responds. "I am sorry to say this, but your quest will not provide you with the satisfaction you seek. Only pain waits for you at the end of that road."

"If you think that's going to be enough to stop me, you're wrong," I return, my voice slowly starting to rise. "Unless you plan to arrest me, you may as well save your breath. There isn't a damn thing that'll keep me from going after him."

"As I said, I do not intend to arrest you. I only wish to give you advice from the perspective of one who understands how you feel," Celestia corrects me gently. Despite the reassuring tone in her voice, her words have the opposite effect on me.

"How dare you!? You think you know how I feel!?" I snap back with incredulity, sitting up straight and glaring back at her. "Last I checked, you aren't the last of your race! Last I checked, your race wasn't wiped out by a tyrannical madman! How could you possibly understand how I feel!?"

Celestia only gazes at me sadly, not even flinching in the wake of my vehement outburst. When I finish, she looks at me dead in the eye.

"Forgive me for my boldness, but I don't believe this is about your race," Celestia deduces softly. My counterargument freezes in my throat, my mouth opening wordlessly. I want to protest, but I can't escape the piercing magenta of her eyes. She gives a small nod, knowing without me having to say anything that she's right.

"How...how could you know that?" I ask in a hollow voice. "I never said...I..."

"I can learn a lot about someone, simply from a normal conversation. First, you agreed with Luna about the violent nature of your species without even trying to defend yourself. That was the greatest indicator. Your cynicism was my next clue; one's outlook on life is influenced by their surroundings. You assumed I would arrest or harm you despite my assurances to the contrary, and then accused me of being naive for my kindness. Thus, I deduced that you distrust and think poorly of your race," Celestia explains, every word causing my shock and disbelief to grow. "Why then, would someone like you be so intent on vengeance for those whom you disliked? I can only assume that someone you knew was harmed...someone very close to you."

I remain silent, unable to dispute any of her claims. I don't understand how she can summarize my feelings and my motivation so easily just from one simple conversation. I can't help but feel vulnerable; everything I've tried to hide from these ponies has been laid bare before me.

"Seth. Believe me when I say that killing Sombra will not bring you solace. It will not bring you closure, nor will it bring back those whom you lost," Celestia continues, never taking her eyes off of mine for an instant. "In the end, the only one hurt will be you.

Celestia falls silent then, giving me time to sort out the mess of thoughts in my head. It's not as though I've never heard a lesson like this before. Everyone is familiar with Confucius's words: Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. Yet, I've never really paid much attention to it, as it has never really applied to me. It's surreal to hear a similar saying from the pony princess before me.

She's right, of course. It doesn't matter if I kill Sombra; it won't change the fact that my family and Amaryllis are dead. It won't change anything for the mutilated corpse that was the niece I've never met. I'm not even certain I'll be able to kill Sombra when I find him. There is every indication that my quest will end with my death. Should I succeed, all I'll have for my troubles is a pair of bloodstained hands and the weight of a life upon my shoulders.

...I'm prepared to deal with that.

"You may be right. But you didn't see the bodies of those who fell in the fight against Sombra. You didn't see his undead ripping them to shreds, or reconstructing them into his own image. You didn't see the animated corpse of one that I might have one day called 'family,'" I finally answer, firmly set into the decision I've just made. "No matter the hardships I must face or the suffering I must endure; I will take him down, or I will die trying."

"I understand. I see now that I can't dissuade you." Celestia replies after a long pause. She heaves a sad sigh, shaking her head. "I had hoped you would decide to give up on your own."

"What are you talking about?" I say sharply, not liking the implications behind that statement. "What do you plan to do if I don't give up?"

"It seems I must tell you the truth about King Sombra's ultimate fate," Celestia begins. The implications behind that cause my blood to run cold. That can't mean what I think it means...

"No…" I emit, my hands clenching into fists. "Don't tell me…"

"Luna and I eventually learned of his cruelty and led an invasion on the kingdom ourselves. Together, we crushed his army and confronted him at the top of the tower, where we ultimately defeated him. King Sombra is no more," Celestia reveals solemnly, her words confirming my worst fears.

"No...no...no no no no no! This isn't fair!" Unable to restrain myself, I rise from the cushion and lash out at the nearest solid object, which happens to be the horse head statue on the table. The statue hits the ground with a thud, even as I feel the skin splitting on my knuckles painfully. "Then what have I been doing all this time!? Was I just wasting my time!? Was it all just pointless!?"

"Seth…" Celestia tries to say, but I don't let her.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your fucking platitudes!" I shout at her, my voice straining from the amount of force I put behind it. To her credit, Celestia doesn't flinch. My rage grows and grows, all of it directed at Celestia. "Sombra was mine to kill! How dare you and your bitch of a sister take that from me!?"

Celestia remains completely silent, despite my insulting words. I know that what I'm saying is going too far, but I can't take it back. I don't want to take it back. The strange pressure resurfaces in the middle of my chest with a vengeance, feeling almost as if it were pulsating and pressing against my chest.

"Was it fun to watch the human struggle!? Were you both just sitting there, laughing at me!? Everyone loves and worships you, but you're sadistic! Do you even know what I went through to get this far!?" My rage continues to build, my throat burning with exertion. As I continue to yell, I get closer and closer to the princess. "I nearly died! I nearly went the same way as the rest of my race! And now you tell me that I can't even avenge my family!? That was...all I had left!"

When I reach Celestia, my arm winds back, my hand clenched into a fist. Just as I swing forward, I recognize what I'm about to do and halt myself before I can get any further. Blood drips to the floor from my fist where my nails dig into my palm. I remain still, panting heavily. Celestia clearly sees what I was about to do, but she doesn't appear to be making any attempts to defend herself. All she does is look at me with that same mournful expression.

"What...What am I supposed to do now?" When I next speak, my voice sounds hoarse and defeated. Everything I've done up to this point has all been for this one singular goal; a goal I can no longer accomplish.

"If I were your family, I would want nothing more than for you to be alive and happy. You're more than welcome to continue living in Ponyville; Take some time to think and heal, and try to make some friends," Celestia suggests with a small smile. "Twilight can be overbearing, but she and her friends are genuinely good ponies. I believe that you could…"

"You've got to be joking," I snap immediately, cutting her off. "You steal my revenge from me, and all you can say is 'make some friends?' Don't make me laugh!"

"Give them a chance. I understand how you feel, but having friends may help to ease the pain of loss," Celestia insists. Her horn lights up once again, lifting the horse head statue back into place atop the table. Next, she turns towards me, a stream of golden light dancing across my injured hand before I can stop her. As I watch, the wounds slowly close up and disappear, leaving my hand unmarked and healthy. "Like I said, take some time for yourself. I'm sure that as strong as you are, you'll be able to push beyond it."

I scoff at that, my earlier rage steadily fading away to be replaced by a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness. There are so many thoughts and emotions rushing through me, but all I can say is, "Whatever. Are we done here?"

"I believe we are. I am sorry to bear such news, Seth," Celestia answers apologetically. She frowns when I don't respond, or even look at her, my gaze falling listlessly to the floor. "If you are ready, I shall call the others in so we can wrap up this meeting."

I don't say a word as Celestia cancels the muffling spell and heads to let the others know of the end of our conversation. I press a hand to my chest, feeling as though there were a massive hole there whose presence I'd been covering up with my need for revenge. It pains me more than I can bear; all I want to do is curl up and cry.

My one goal, my reason to go on...is gone.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I was waiting to get to this chapter for so long. There was so much I wanted to change from the original; from Luna's speech patterns to Seth's reaction, to the order of their discussion...suffice to say, it needed lots of work.

I had the opportunity to rework Seth's reaction to Celestia's news more realistically; after all, it's what he's been clinging to ever since he arrived in Equestria. This tantrum he throws not only sets up for the events of chapter 12, but also for the events in chapter 24.

I also tied in some of the lore I learned from Sombra's fiendship is magic issue. That issue gave me lots to work with.

Thanks so much to Brave-Hooves and scaredofbs for helping me edit this chapter! Please leave me a comment/review, if only to let me know that I still have readers. It seems that ever since the original story ended, lots of my followers stopped paying attention, resulting in the low views and comments.


	12. Loyalty

Celestia descends the stairs, Luna and Twilight following her closely behind. The latter two appear to be just finishing up their own conversation concerning the Crystal Empire. Twilight appears somber, likely having learned of Sombra's fate herself.

"As you can see, that is why we have kept his existence, as well as that of the empire itself, a closely kept secret," Luna continues as the three of them reach the ground level. "The climes are utterly inhospitable to pony life, and it is possible there are still remnants of the undead lurking about."

"I understand. If it's that dangerous, you wouldn't want ponies poking about," Twilight agrees with a small nod of her head. The three of them return to their cushions near me, their conversation dying down. Twilight glances at me, picking up on the change in my demeanor instantly. "Is everything alright?"

Celestia remains silent at first, but when it becomes clear that I'm not going to answer, she does so instead. "We are fine, Twilight. Seth is simply...taking the news about his quest rather hard," she explains softly. "I assume my sister told you what happened?"

"She did. I feel bad for Seth, but there was really nothing else you could have done. Someone like him needed to be defeated," Twilight replies, the mare looking at me with sympathy, which causes me to silently seethe. "Though this means we won't get any answers; King Sombra must have had some reason for bringing him to our era…"

"It doesn't matter," I snap suddenly, causing Twilight to recoil. "He's gone, and I'm still here. There's nothing I can do about it."

"I'm sorry…" Twilight attempts to express, but that only makes me angrier.

"You're sorry!?" My eyes snap to hers, and she shrinks back, her ears folding back. If I thought that I'd known rage back when I was hunting Sombra, it was nothing compared to how I feel now. Yet, as quickly as it arrives, it ebbs, leaving me emptier than I ever thought I could feel. "I don't need your sympathy or your help. I've wasted enough of everyone's time."

"That's not true," Twilight attempts to reassure me, but Luna cuts across her before our conversation can go any further.

"Are we finished, sister? We cannot stay in Ponyville for long; we tire, and the Day Court no doubt desires your presence," Luna questions Celestia with a hint of impatience coloring her words. "We have yet to resolve the most important issue; what to do with the human."

"I believe I have come to a decision regarding such," Celestia answers, the princess sighing. She turns to Luna and gazes at her seriously. "I understand you believe humanity is a threat due to their colorful history. Yet I also believe that if Seth intended to hurt anypony, he had plenty of opportunities to do so before our arrival."

"You cannot mean to leave him here, especially after he professed his intent to murder another living pony!" Luna insists, catching on to Celestia's intentions. I remain silent during their exchange. "Sister, we must take him back to Canterlot with us."

"You would do the same as him if something were to happen to me," Celestia returns with a firm stare. Luna flinches, but doesn't reply, suggesting that there was some truth to her sister's statement. "Luna, the last thing he needs is to be isolated in the castle, surrounded by ponies that will only seek to gawk at or study him. He needs the kindness and friendship that I know Twilight and her friends can offer him."

I let out an incredulous scoff at that, but the conversation continues.

"What then, do you suggest we do?" Luna demands. Celestia doesn't answer her directly, choosing instead to address Twilight.

"Twilight, it was you who brought him to my attention. Therefore, I would like to make him your responsibility," Celestia decides. Twilight blinks, looking between Celestia and me with surprise. "Make sure he is adjusting to our era, and teach him what it means to live in Equestria. He will need all the help he can get."

"You want me to look after him?" Twilight gasps. "Don't get me wrong, I'm willing, but...Seth, are you alright with this? We haven't really asked you for your opinion on this."

"Do whatever you want. I don't care," is my simplistic sounding response. The three mares exchange glances, unsure what to make of that. "If we're done here, I need to go to work."

"We do not like this. We insist that you at least increase the presence of the guard in this town, in case the worst should occur," Luna presses, turning to her sister.

"I suppose that is a reasonable compromise. We can discuss precisely which measures to take once we return to Canterlot," Celestia finally acquiesces. She rises from her cushion and moves towards the door, as does Luna. "It is time we take our leave. As much as I would like to stay, duty calls."

"Will I be able to see you again soon?" Twilight asks wistfully, the mare looking rather down. Celestia smiles and cranes her head down to nuzzle her student lovingly.

"I will do my best to find some time for us, my dearest Twilight," Celestia promises, which cheers Twilight up slightly. Then, as Luna opens the door with her magic, Celestia turns to me one last time. "Words cannot express how deeply sorry I am for your loss, Seth. Regardless, it was good to meet you. Feel free to send me a letter if you ever need anything."

Celestia remains still, waiting for a reply from me. When it becomes clear that I'm not going to give one, she frowns. She joins Luna and the two of them exit the library through the front door. Twilight follows them out, with me following her close behind.

The morning sun is already rising, bathing the town in a soft orange light. Despite the light, there's no warmth to be felt in the wintry air. It won't be long before the town will come alive with ponies starting their day.

Celestia and Luna climb into their respective chariots, and at their command, their guards work together to wheel the chariots around and break into a run. Twilight watches as the chariots take off into the sky, their departure just as much of a spectacle as their arrival. As they get further away, the heavy feeling in the air dissipates. As for me, I've no further reason to be here.

"Seth, are you going to work already? Have you eaten yet?" Twilight calls out to me when she notices me walking away. She rushes forward to catch up with me, and then she follows along behind me. "I know a place that serves really good pancakes, if you want to…"

"I've already eaten." I turn her down without letting her finish, or even slowing down.

"Oh…" Twilight slows down to a stop after hearing that, a sad frown forming on her face. She tries once more. "Will you be coming by again this evening to visit me? I'd be glad to have you."

Without saying a word, I continue forward and turn the corner into the next street, leaving Twilight and her library behind.

* * *

Applejack meets me out in front of the barn not long after I arrive on the farm, a green striped scarf wrapped around her neck to help keep her warm. I'm a little later than usual; she's already pulled out the cart and filled it with empty baskets. She tips her hat in greeting.

"Mornin', Seth! Y'all ready for another day?" Applejack sounds as cheerful as ever, a smile brightening her rustic features. "I already took Apple Bloom to school, so I'm all set!"

"Let's go, then," I reply simply. I fall in step beside her as she ducks beneath the bar and starts to pull the cart over to the apple orchard. As my worn shoes plod on the dirt, my thoughts take over once more, and I can't help but gaze at Applejack with a hint of resentment. After a moment of silence, I decide to ask her. "Applejack, do you enjoy your work?"

"You mean here on the farm? Darn tootin!" Applejack answers enthusiastically as we walk. Asking that one question appears to have opened the floodgates, as Applejack proceeds to explain. " It's hard and long work, but I find it invigorating and refreshing. Not to mention, what we do is important to the whole town!"

"How so?" I press.

"Y'all are new in town, so you probably don't know, but Sweet Apple Acres has been around ever since Ponyville was founded all them long years ago. We're the reason the town is still around!" Applejack proclaimed proudly. She doesn't seem to have any qualms about spilling her feelings to me. "When I work, I get to talk to all them ponies of Ponyville and get 'em what they need. It makes me feel like this really is home, ya know? Y'ever have a feeling like that?"

"Not anymore," I reply despondently. The resentment I feel towards her solidifies. It must be nice for her to live life doing what she enjoys, surrounded by her family and friends. It must be nice to feel like you have a home and a purpose. I bite my lip until blood flows, hopelessness and despair filling me up inside. When I notice Applejack looking at me with worry in her eyes, I shake my head. "Don't worry about it. I'm just thinking."

"You sure you're alright?" Applejack asks with concern as we reach the first tree. I don't reply at first, choosing to begin arranging the baskets as needed. "Seth…?"

"I'm fine. Where do you want this basket?" I question her, lifting another one from the cart. Applejack gazes at me for several seconds, and then she joins in, our work day beginning.

* * *

Time ticks by excruciatingly slowly. The minutes feel like hours, and the hours feel like days. Between the cold air chilling my skin and the effort necessary to bend down, push, and lift the filled baskets onto the carts, I find myself tiring swiftly. Each basket seems to weigh more than the last and each tree seems to be further away than the last.

As the sun starts to move past its zenith, I start to slow down. I know that Applejack has already noticed; I can see the worried glances she keeps giving me when she thinks I'm not looking. My body feels heavy. Each step seems to require a tremendous effort, and just lifting a single basket causes every muscle in my body to scream out with agony. I can feel my legs starting to wobble like month old jelly.

"Alright, that's enough," Applejack finally says as I shakingly lift another basket. They feel so heavy to my exhausted arms; I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth just to bear the weight. I don't understand why this is so hard. "Put that down, and let's take a rest."

"I don't...need...," I grunt, straining to lift it up to the cart. The cart is nearly full, so I have to lift the basket even higher than normal. I don't need to rest. I've made it through the past two days without resting much. Today should be no different. Even as I reason this to myself, I feel a sudden onset of dizziness, and then my legs give out. I fall to the ground hard, the full basket landing on its side and spilling the apples everywhere.

"Seth, are you alright!?" Applejack says with alarm, the mare setting her own basket down and rushing to my side. I'm already struggling to get up, but my limbs feel like rubber bands and won't support my weight. "I knew it. I knew y'all were pushing yourself too hard. Hold on."

Applejack produces one of the canteens of water that we typically carry with us and moves over to me with it. She hooks her two front hooves beneath me and attempts to gently flip me over on my back. Applejack possesses a tangible strength that I'm only just now experiencing for myself. I don't have the energy to resist her.

When she offers me the canteen, I turn it away with my hand, attempting to rise at the same time. "I'll be fine. I can keep working," I pant heavily, despite the clear evidence to the contrary. "Just give me...a moment to...catch my breath."

"Don't be silly; I know what exhaustion looks like," Applejack retorted, pressing me back down to the ground with a hoof. She sets the canteen down beside me, just within reach of my right hand. "You lay down there by the cart and drink some water; you'll feel better."

Despite my stubbornness, the thought of cool water proves too enticing to ignore. I lift the canteen to my lips with a trembling hand and gulp down my fill, nearly draining the container dry. As I do so, I'm overly conscious of Applejack gazing at me with concern in her eyes. I grit my teeth and set the canteen down hard.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Applejack suddenly offers, causing me to look at her in surprise. "Rest up and take care of yourself for an evening."

"I promised I'd see you through to the end of harvest," I remind her in a dull voice, making no attempt to move. "I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Seth, you're new to this kind of work; said so yourself. You ain't got the muscle for it," Applejack reasons with me, her words blunt and to the point. "That comes with time; certainly not overnight."

"Are you going to tell me I can't work here anymore?" I ask in the same dull manner as before, unable to bring myself to argue back. I need this money in order to continue living in this town, but I don't feel any of that desperation I once did when I was first faced with losing my job.

"What? No, I ain't firing you. I'm just sayin' that if we wanna make this work, we gotta put some thought into it," Applejack answered, looking at me with an odd expression that I can't quite place. "Why don't we try mixin' up your tasks throughout the day? Start small, work your way up to that muscle y'all need...but then again, you said you were skippin' town soon, right?"

"I was. But now it seems like I'm stuck here for good," I reply, much to Applejack's surprise. Just saying that causes a rush of despair to flow through me. I've been telling these ponies over and over again to stop trying to be friendly, using my impending departure as an excuse. I don't have that anymore. How will I be able to get them to back off now without making an enemy of the whole town? I can't believe I'm thinking this, but humans were easy; all it took was one firm comment and they'd never bother me again. "Just do what you're going to do. I'll go along with whatever you come up with."

"If you're sure, I guess," Applejack seems like she wants to ask me more, but thankfully chooses not to. She puts on what I think it supposed to be a reassuring smile. "Well, it ain't all bad. There's worse places to be stuck in Equestria."

"If you say so," is my uncaring response. Some semblance of strength is returning to me, so I brace myself on the cart and rise to my feet. My entire body is afflicted with a soreness that seems to sink into my very bones; I can't fathom how I never noticed that it had become this bad before. "What do I do next?"

"You go home and get some rest. I meant what I said before," Applejack repeats, giving me a stare. "Your legs look wobblier than a fresh can of zap apple jam."

"But…"

"No buts, Seth. If you don't go home and rest right now, I'mma truss you up in some rope and drag you," Applejack insists with a tone that brooked no nonsense. I hesitate, still feeling the obligation to finish out the rest of the day. "Go on, git. I'll bundle in today's pay with tomorrow's when I see ya tomorrow."

It's clear she's not willing to budge on this, so I do as I'm told. Without a word, I turn and walk back towards the entrance to the farm, wincing in pain with every step.

Without having to work at Applejack's for the rest of the day, I have several hours left before the gig with Vinyl and no clear plan on how to spend them. It doesn't take me very long to determine that Vinyl's house is the last place I want to be right now. All she would do is ask me questions that I'm not in any state to answer.

As I re-enter town, I recall that Rarity asked me to meet with her sometime today to see the clothes that she's made for me. The chill on my skin serves as a strong argument towards handling that sooner rather later. Despite the logic present in that decision, I bypass the street that leads to her boutique entirely.

Without any destination in mind, I plod through the town, hardly ever taking my eyes off of the ground. I'm vaguely aware of the ponies around me, some of them turning their heads as I pass. I pointedly keep from looking at them. Just a glance at their unfamiliar, alien appearance is enough to make me remember just how out of place I am; a stranger in a world that no longer belongs to him.

Rainbow Dash and the weather team flies overhead, clearing away any leftover clouds in the sky as though such a fantastical task were routine. A group of mares pass by me, laughing and talking about their experiences at the town's spa, while a pair of stallions near the side of the street watch them, commenting on their figure in hushed voices. Pinkie Pie bounces by through the street, greeting each and every pony she comes across by name, and even sparing one for me as she passes by.

Unable to bear the atmosphere, I promptly turn off the street and make a beeline for the edge of town. I've felt like this many times before, but it's never been to this extent. Being alone in a crowd is nothing new to me; before meeting Amaryllis, this is what my every day was like. Yet this time it feels so much worse; this time, I can't just pick up the phone and call Amaryllis, nor can I drown myself in music, books, or games. I am completely alone.

Before I realize it, the sounds of the town gives way to the hypnotic flowing of the river, and the crunching of pavement beneath my feet gives away to the rustling of grass. Looking up, I find myself walking along the river's edge outside of the town. Across the wide river rises the twisted and gnarled trees of the Everfree Forest. I wince and keep my eyes forward, memories of the undead and the wooden wolves filling my mind.

I don't know for how long I walk. Sticking to the river's edge, I come across a large copse of oak and hickory trees. I bypass it and keep walking, using a small strip of damp riverbank between the copse and the river. As I walk, the terrain starts to rise on a steady incline. The riverbank becomes a cliff, and then eventually a gorge. In the distance I can see a railroad trestle that crosses the ravine.

Panting with the exertion and wincing from the soreness of my overworked muscles, I finally come to a stop. My breath is taken away by the sheer size of the gorge stretching out before me. It appears to be scores of meters deep, with the rushing river far below looking like a ribbon of blue and white. The ravine itself snakes its way into the distance and out of sight. Looking back, I can hardly see Ponyville at all.

I know I'll have to go back eventually for Vinyl's gig. The idea doesn't appeal to me, but I gave my word. Even that obligation, however, feels trite to me. The whole point of making it was to help gather money for my expedition north...the one there's no point in making now.

I sit down on the very edge of the ravine, my legs dangling over the lip into midair. The air is cold, but there's no wind. I am alone, but the world is far from silent. From the forest nearby I hear the singing of the birds and the rustling of animals in the undergrowth. I can hear the cries of birds of prey that soar through the gorge, and even the faint rushing of the river far down below. It's calming, but it does nothing to sweep away the strong sense of solitude I feel.

* * *

Vinyl glances up from the couch as I enter her house. All of her equipment looks to be all packed up and ready to go in the cart by the door. "Dude, where have you been? You're like half an hour late," she addresses me with some concern evident in her voice.

"I just lost track of time," I reply curtly, shuddering as I get used to the warm interior of her house. Vinyl seems less than satisfied with that explanation, but she comes to join me as I move to the cart. "You won't be late for your gig, will you?"

"Not if we get moving. I give myself plenty of time to set up," Vinyl answers while we work on getting the cart out the door. "How did you miss it when the bell tolled six? The clock tower is pretty loud."

"I went for a walk," I answer, just as curtly as before. Vinyl raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't press any further.

"Awright, let's get to it. Just your typical gig tonight; no Pinkie. There's this place on the outer edge of town…" As we push the cart, Vinyl gives me the details of her next gig. Most of them mean nothing to me; not even the thought of a musical performance is enough to stir my emotions from the pit in which they reside.

The night passes much like I thought it would. Vinyl has me doing much the same as I did at Pinkie's party; unfurling the cables, untangling them if necessary, and carrying that which is too heavy for her to feasibly carry by herself.

Yet, the work is torturous for my exhausted body. Just a few minutes of work has my muscles burning, my limbs shaking, and my chest heaving. Vinyl of course notices, and like Applejack, offers to give me a rest. Unlike Applejack, I manage to convince her otherwise and finish the job I was given. Unfortunately, the result of my stubbornness has me lying in a deep sleep in the most secluded corner I can find for the entirety of Vinyl's show. She has to come find and wake me up at the end so the two of us can start cleaning up.

"By the way, how did your meeting with the princesses go?" Vinyl asked as we were finishing up. I pause, but only briefly. It's not surprising that she'd be curious about them.

"They were...interesting," is my rather undescriptive response. I have to suppress the bitter scowl that threatens to show on my face upon remembering the meeting with the princesses. Noting the unsatisfied look oon Vinyl's face, I decide to give her just enough to assuage her curiosity. "They wanted to make sure I was acclimating well, and to tell me that I was welcome here."

"See? I said you'd have nothing to worry about," Vinyl says with a grin, nudging me. That seems to have satisfied her so I fall silent again and focus on moving the cart.

* * *

"Morning, Seth! How are you feeling?" Applejack greets me the next morning out in front of the barn. I find it hard to answer at first; my body feels worse than ever. My muscles feel weak and heavy, and they relentlessly pulse with waves of pain. I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and suffer in solitude, but I forced myself into motion regardless. "You don't look so great. Do you need some more rest?"

"I'm not going to skip out on you twice," I tell her stubbornly, even as I bite back a whimper of pain. The thought of going through the entire day like this almost makes me want to give up right now. "Just...tell me what you need me to do."

"You got it, partner. But if you collapse again, I'm sending you home, you hear?" Applejack warns me. She goes on to detail my tasks for the day without waiting for my answer. "Now, like I said yesterday, I'm gonna start you small and work your way up, if we're gonna build up your muscle. I can probably give you some chores to do around the farm for now; I bet Apple Bloom would like coming home to no chores! Come with me, I'll show you what's what."

Wordlessly, I fall into step behind her, wincing as every step sends a bolt of pain up my legs. She leads me to her little sister, and my work day begins. Just like she promised, I'm given menial tasks such as washing and folding laundry, repainting various walls and constructs where they may have faded, and even the dishes from yesterday's dinner.

Even though I know these are chores a child could complete, I'm grateful for the chance to take a break from heavy lifting. The downside of handling chores inside where it's warm is that Granny Smith is often inside as well, and if there's anything she likes to do, it's talk. Despite my lack of any meaningful responses, she seems more than happy to prattle on by herself as long as I'm there to listen.

Lunch comes as a welcome respite, but it also means that Applejack and Big MacIntosh join us in the kitchen. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise; once Applejack starts a conversation with Granny Smith, it means none of them are focusing on me.

At some point during the meal, the conversation turns to the topic of an event called the Grand Galloping Gala. I don't pay that much attention until Apple Bloom mentions that her sister looked "beautiful in one of miss Rarity's dresses!"

"Shucks, sis, it was too frilly for my tastes," Applejack remarks, brushing her mane uncomfortably. She's all too quick to change the subject. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Seth, Rarity told me she's been looking for you. She said something about giving you clothes?"

"Right," I acknowledge simply. For some reason, Apple Bloom starts snickering, only to get hastily hushed by her sister. "I'll go to her soon. Thanks for the reminder."

"No problem, sugarcube," Applejack replies, satisfied. That random nickname causes me to glance at her oddly, but I don't ask about it, finding that to be too much effort. "Oh yeah, and I'm thinking about asking Rainbow Dash back over tomorrow. That alright with you?"

"I don't see why you need to ask me for permission. You're the boss." As much as the idea of having to meet with Rainbow again causes my mood to sink even further, I can't muster up the desire to argue about it. "I won't make an issue out of it. Do you need her to demolish something else?"

"Nah, this time I got some stuff that only a pegasus can do. I just thought I'd let you know beforehoof," Applejack answers. That seems rather vague to me, but it's not really my business, so I let the conversation end there.

Before long, we finish our lunch and return to work.

* * *

Clutching my pay from the day's work, I leave Sweet Apple Acres behind and return to town, the sun already starting to set. This may be one of the first evenings where I've nothing pressing to do, and I don't know how to spend it. Applejack reminded me of my arrangement with Rarity, but the idea of associating with any of these ponies when I don't need to doesn't appeal me.

On my way back to Vinyl's house, I have to pass through the town square, which is full of ponies milling about, packing up their market stalls for the day or walking home before the sun completely disappears. Yet it quickly becomes clear that passing through such a well traveled area is a poor idea on my part.

"Oh hey, Seth!"

I stop in my tracks as a familiar mint green unicorn calls to me from a bench over by the fountain. Lyra and her seemingly ever present friend, Bon Bon, are sitting together on the bench. I'm uncertain what the acceptable amount of personal space is for ponies, but they're awfully close to one another.

When Lyra sees me, she leaps down from the bench and waves to me with a bright smile. Bon Bon just gives me an askance look and a roll of her eyes, clearly unhappy to see me. Either way, I don't want to deal with any of them. I haven't forgotten Lyra's disgusting interest, and I'm not about to encourage it with my presence.

Lyra's smile drops immediately when I turn on the spot, heading back the way I came without sparing her a look or even an acknowledgment in return.

"Seth, please, I was just playing before!" Lyra calls after me, audibly upset.

Despite her cries, I continue on my way. I'm beginning to understand that no matter what I do, these ponies will never leave me alone. I don't know if it's some form of herd mentality or just sheer nosiness, but I do know that it's becoming extremely hard to keep my patience. I don't understand why they can't just pass me by, like to what I'm used.

Before I realize it, my feet are taking me on a familiar path out of town. The idea of solitude appeals to me greatly, so I consciously speed up my pace until I leave Ponyville behind and make my way back to the gorge I sat at before.

I sigh with a dull satisfaction as I sit down at the edge of the gorge, in the same spot as before, and stare down at the rocky riverbed far below. Seeing the rapid white frothy water race past the sharp rocks below is mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.

It isn't long before I find myself reflecting. I can still remember it so clearly; walking through the park with Amaryllis, enjoying our short time together and planning for my future. The life that I'd hated for so long was just starting to become more bearable with her around, and my relationship with my family was finally starting to mend…

I slam my fist onto the ground with rage fueled by helplessness. All of them are dead now. Celestia was right about one thing: so many people were murdered by Sombra, but that's more or less just a number to me. But Amaryllis and my family…

A choking sob leaves my throat, my eyes stinging with forming liquid. The fact that they're gone sits in the middle of my chest like a ten ton weight that I can't dislodge. All I can think about is that I want to see them again. I would give or do anything to be able to see them again. Even if it were just Amaryllis...she'd know what to do. She'd know how to handle this completely hopeless situation.

There's nowhere for my anger and despair to go anymore, so it all turns inward. I continue to impact the ground with my fist until my knuckles bleed, shouting wordlessly with raw emotion. I could take it as long as I had the goal of going after Sombra. At least then, I could hold someone responsible for this. At least then, I could seek vengeance upon him, to whatever end that may have brought. But this…

If I had just watched where I was going...if I'd just walked right past him and out that door, maybe this all would have never happened. Maybe I could have died with Amaryllis and my family. Even that would be better than this ridiculous magical pastel-colored pony hell. To hell with them…walking around with their families and their friends, happy and oblivious. How dare they think they could understand how this feels? Maybe if their entire village were to be wiped off the map...then...maybe then they could understand!

My train of thought is suddenly interrupted by the sudden return of that strange pressure in my chest. It's much more intense than usual, to the point where it's difficult to dismiss as my body's physical representation of my emotion. I cough and choke, thumping a fist to my chest in a vain attempt to alleviate the pressure. It feels like something frigid and dark is coursing through my veins, and my eyes start to burn, my vision slightly distorting.

After several minutes of fighting that feeling, it dies down, leaving me a frightened and panting mess on top of the ridge. My mind races with confusion and terror, and I can't help but gaze down at my chest.

"What the hell was that!?"

* * *

"You're back late," Vinyl comments from her position on her couch as I walk in through the front door. She shifts in her seat to look at me when I don't answer. "You look cold, dude. You thought about using some of your extra money to get some warm clothes?"

"I'll get around to it," I acknowledge her, moving towards the kitchen. It looks like Vinyl has already eaten, judging from the mess on the counter and the dishes in the sink. Additionally, there's a plateful of salad wrapped in plastic sitting on the table. "Is this for me?"

"Yup! I figured you were busy, so I threw together something simple," Vinyl replied lazily from the couch. I hear the sound of turning pages, suggesting that she's passing the time by reading a book or a magazine. I'll assume the latter; Vinyl doesn't seem like the bookish sort. I unwrap the plastic and force the dry leaves down despite my lack of appetite "By the way, it looks like I'm gonna have another gig on Friday. So not tomorrow, but the next day."

"Okay," I acknowledge her simply. For the first time, I have a general idea what day it is. The days have been blending together, each seeming to take an age to pass, so it wasn't hard for me to lose track of time. I find it odd that ponies use the same naming convention we do, considering it has its origin in both ancient Babylonian and Norse culture. I don't think too hard about it, though. The mystery behind the pony's evolution and adoption of human culture doesn't interest me as much as it first did. I finish the rest of my meal and wash it down, and then I head for the stairs. "I'm going to bed."

I vaguely hear Vinyl acknowledging me before I shut myself in my room. After setting my pay down with the rest of my meagre savings in the drawer of my desk, I sit down on my bed and press a hand to my chest, recalling the strange feeling I'd experienced out there on the cliff.

It's not as though that was the first time I'd felt such a pressure. It's been happening more and more every since I arrived in this era, but I'd always thought it was just a result of my own fear and anger. It's not unheard of for people to experience strange physical feelings in conjunction to their emotional state. Yet that seemed so intense and so frightening that that theory seems less plausible.

A thought suddenly occurs to me. Considering the location of the strange pressure, I can't help but remember the video I'd seen in the school, where Sombra's spell had entered the same place. That can't be the reason, however. According to what I've seen as well as my presence in this time, that was a spell (specified in the singular by Sombra himself) designed to bring me to this era.

Perhaps the magic he used is having some kind of adverse effect on my body. Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this is an entirely different environment. I'm surprised I haven't gotten sick by now; ponies could be carriers for any number of illnesses to which humans aren't accustomed.

I undress myself and lay down on the bed. A sensible next step would be to see a pony doctor, but I doubt I would be able to afford the bills; I don't know if ponies have health insurance, but I do know that I don't have any. More importantly, I feel fine now. Perhaps I really am just overthinking this, and it really is a result of my current emotional state. I can't say I've ever felt like this before; perhaps the physical sensations get more intense as well.

If I'm wrong and it truly is something magical, or worse, a disease, then whatever it is could potentially harm me, or even kill me. Surprisingly, I'm not as bothered by that realization as I know I should be. There's no place for me in this pony society, nor any reason for me to keep going.

Perhaps dying wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

* * *

"Morning, Seth! You're a little late this morning," Applejack greets me as I arrive on the farm the following morning. Despite her words, she doesn't seem all that upset. Instead, she takes the opportunity to nudge me slightly. "What, did you oversleep? Careful you don't turn out like little miss Dash over here."

"Hey, it was one time!" Rainbow protests, the irritating mare looking at Applejack indignantly. She must have arrived sometime before I did. She quails under Applejack's unamused stare. "...and the time before that. And the time I wasn't able to clear the clouds before they rained on your crops after you watered them."

"And for the past three cider seasons," Applejack quipped, causing Rainbow to flush and duck her head. "And weren't you five minutes late this morning?"

"It was _five minutes!_ Besides, you're not so perfect yourself! Didn't you miss the train to Canterlot that one time?" Rainbow Dash shoots back. "I had to go back for you!"

"My alarm clock was broken!" Applejack retorted, the two of them getting closer together, seemingly taking one another's comments seriously. I get a little uneasy just watching them. "Maybe y'all should think about hiring somepony to drag you out of bed, cuz your _internal_ alarm clock is broken!"

"That's it, you c'mere!" Rainbow Dash suddenly tackles Applejack, the two of them tumbling over the ground. At first I take a step back, alarmed by the sudden fight, but then I hear the two of them laughing despite their roughhousing. "I'll break _your_ internal clock!"

"No you won't! Lie still, you scruffy little varmint!"

I glance over at Big MacIntosh, who has just walked up with a bucket of tools in his mouth. He sets them down, notices the two wrestling ponies, and rolls his eyes with exasperation, yet smiles despite that.

"Do they do this often?" I ask with a raised brow.

"Eeyup." Big MacIntosh answers simply.

* * *

I can only assume that Applejack is spending her time overseeing Rainbow's work, so I spend most of the day working with Big MacIntosh, whose quiet nature comes as a welcome relief. Only saying that which needs to be said, we steadily make our way through the fields, harvesting the simpler crops that don't require as much physical effort to pick.

"Take a short break," Big MacIntosh instructs me after the cart is filled up an hour or so I give him a quizzical look, he indicates the cart. "Tugging back the cart is a one pony job. I'll be right back."

I don't protest. Instead I find someplace in the sun to sit. The light does little to raise the temperature, but it's better than sitting in the shade. I sigh, looking at all that's left to be done on the farm. It's getting harder and harder to justify to myself why I'm still doing this. I suppose there's the pride I hold in my word, but even that seems like a burden too heavy to shoulder anymore.

A flutter of wings sounds from behind me, and my spirits sink even further. I don't even have to look to know that it's Rainbow standing behind me, though what she wants with me I have no idea. I ignore her, hoping against hope that her presence here is work related.

"Hey, uh...Seth?" No such luck. Her distinctive scratchy voice addresses me from behind. Even though I don't give an answer, she continues regardless. "Thanks for helping out Flitter the other day. That ribbon means a lot to her; I think her sister gave it to her when they were fillies."

"I just happened to find it," I answer her quietly with an uncomfortable shrug. Out of everything I'd come to expect from her, this was the last thing I would have expected. "Don't let me keep you from your work."

"Work? Oh, I'm done. I was just helping her out for a little while," Rainbow informs me, much to my annoyance. She stretches briefly and yawns. "Now I need another nap. But before that, do you want to join the girls and I at Vinyl's gig tomorrow?"

"I'll be there." As surprised and irritated as I am that she's trying to be friendly again despite the fact that I've made it very clear I don't like her in the least, it's one of Vinyl's gigs, so I'll be there whether I like it or not.

"C'mon, you don't have to be like...wait, what? Really?" Rainbow does a double take, having clearly expected me to say something scathing. Normally I would, but I'm just not feeling up to another argument with her.

"I work for Vinyl," I remind her simply. Understanding dawns on Rainbow, the mare making a small "o" with her mouth. Hearing the rumbling of the cart along the ground, I get up and turn around, preparing to get back to work. "Big MacIntosh is on his way back. If you're done, then please leave me here to my work."

"Right, yeah." Rainbow leaps into the air, her wings extending and flapping just hard enough to keep her hovering in the air. She gives me a strange look. "Are you...feeling okay?"

I don't answer her.

* * *

Once the workday is over, it doesn't take me very long to decide my next destination. This time, I consciously cut through town and head directly for the outskirts, taking care to avoid the town square on the way.

After taking a roundabout route through the alleyways to avoid running into ponies that know me, I end up passing in front of an oddly designed house that stood alone atop a small hill across the river. The only reason I notice it at all is because its roof looks almost like the canopy of a tree, complete with thick ivy and leaves. If it weren't for the plaster walls and wooden-frame windows, I wouldn't have been able to tell it was a house at all.

Additionally, it's surrounded by wildlife; scores of birds perch on the window sills or the leaves of the roof, rabbits and squirrels dart across the grass moving from tree to tree, and once I think I even see a badger rounding the corner of the house. All in all, it's not something unusual enough to briefly catch my eye.

Unfortunately, it's spoiled by the presence of a familiar pony standing on the bridge over the river, who appears to conversing with a soft-spoken butter yellow pegasus mare with a long pink mane. The conversation lasts until the pegasus catches sight of me...and then with a squeak, she zips into the house at a frankly impressive speed. I swear I even see a small cloud of dust where she had once stood.

"So you'll be free for lunch tomor...what in the...Fluttershy, come back!" Twilight, who was the other pony speaking with the now missing mare, called after her, looking exasperated. With a sigh, she turned to find out what had scared her, only to see me walking by. "Oh, Seth! Wait there a moment!"

I don't wait for her despite her words, causing her to break into a canter in order to catch up with me. She looks up at me with worry when I don't even react to her presence.

"Hey, I was looking for you last evening. I had hoped you would drop by again to come talk with me," Twilight reveals to me. Her expression becomes perturbed when she still doesn't get an answer. "How are you feeling? I can help if you need someone to talk to."

My teeth grit together at her words, her very existence serving as a testament to everything that's gone wrong with my world. That she's trying to act understanding at all is causing my ire to rise. Unfortunately, she's not as perceptive as she is nosy, so she doesn't pick up on any of this.

"Okay, so...not talking," Twilight finally seems to get it when I continue to walk regardless of her words. She stares at me stubbornly, her mouth set in a firm line. "I can't pretend to understand what you're going through right now, but I wanted to tell you that we're all here to help you. There's no strings or other motives or whatever you think might be behind my offer; just that none of us want to see you suffer. Together, we could…"

"Would you give it a rest?" I finally snap, unable to handle her sanctimonious spiel any longer. I come to a halt on the path, the two of us standing just outside of Ponyville. Twilight's mouth closes in surprise from my vehement response. "I don't know what you think you're trying to accomplish, but I don't want any part of it. So turn your furry little ass around and go back to your friend."

"Seth, is it really so hard to understand that I just want to-" Twilight, now riled up herself, steps closer to me.

"-to help? You think a few flowery words are going to make this go away? You think you can just say 'I'm sorry for your loss' and I'll just perk right back up again? You know absolutely nothing about me," I cut across her, venom entering my voice.

"Maybe I would if you didn't always shut us out every time we try to know you!" Twilight shoots back with frustration. "Look, I am very sorry about what you've gone through. Nobody should have to live with what you do. But I do know that you can't get through it alone."

"What, and you're going to be the friend that waltzes on by and magically cheers me up? Don't make me laugh," I retort sardonically, crossing my arms and glaring at her. "I don't care if the princess told you to or whatever; go back to the life you were living before me, and stop trying to meddle in my business!"

"So do you just plan to live through life like this? Day after day, all by yourself?" Twilight demands. "I know more than anyone just how unhealthy that is! I won't let you do that to yourself!"

"You won't 'let me?' You seem to think you have a choice in that," I seethe. I hold a hand to my chest, already feeling the pressure returning. Something that I'd been holding back for the sake of my now nonexistent goal surges to the surface, and it gets out before I can restrain myself. "You need to understand something. I have never asked for nor desired the companionship of any of you ponies from the moment I got here. In fact, I want nothing to do with you. Your kind is the reason I'm here, the reason my family and friends are dead in the first place, and now here you all are, enjoying your pretty and idyllic little life as though none of that ever happened. _It makes me sick!_ "

"Seth, you can't…" Twilight takes a step back, her ears folding back and her body shuddering at the sheer amount of venom in my voice. "You can't blame us for that. That's...that's not fair…"

I stare at her, realizing by the expression on her face that I said too much.. I take a deep breath, and let it out as a long sigh.

"Just go back to town; I'm done talking to you." Tired of this argument, I turn on my heel and continue on my walk out of town, my pace quickening in order to widen the difference between us as quickly as possible. Twilight calls after me desperately, but I don't look back.

Once again, I'm at the cliffside, my legs dangling over the edge into the open air. I sit there lifelessly, my heart still beating quickly. As I gaze down into the gorge, I start to wonder if I'd gone too far in that argument with Twilight. I meant every word that I said, but I told myself again and again not to let them know my true feelings. Otherwise at best, I might lose my job and the house in which I'm staying, and at worst, I'd make an enemy of the town and get kicked out.

One question comes to my mind; one niggling question that I can't dislodge. Would it really be a bad thing if I didn't go back to Ponyville? There's nothing there to which I'm attached; no reason to stay and suffer their increasingly intrusive attempts to befriend me. So why should I go back?

Yet, there's a roof under which to stay and a source of income to keep me fed. Despite logic and pragmatism telling me that there's no choice but to suck it up and deal, the thought of going back to Ponyville proves to be unbearable. Seeing Twilight's stubborn but sad face, seeing Applejack take pity on my weak body, and seeing Vinyl greet me every morning and evening with prepared meals...all of it is unwelcome.

I can't take this. I can't take all these emotions. Amaryllis. I just want Amaryllis to be here. I need to her sit beside me and whip me into shape. I need Amaryllis here with me now to tell me what to do. There isn't a part of me that I wouldn't tear out and crush if it meant I could have her 's nothing that I wouldn't sacrifice. I don't care what I would have to do. It's just not fair that I'm here and she's not. If anyone deserved to live through the end it would be her. Why did I get to live when she had to die?

A chunk of the cliff on the opposite side of the gorge suddenly breaks away, breaking me out of my increasingly desperate thoughts. I watch in silence as the chunks of earth and rock plummet hundreds of feet into the gorge and break apart upon the jagged rocks jutting up from the river at the bottom. The sight causes a thought to rise in my mind.

If I can't have her back, nor can I get revenge, then what's the point of living anymore?

* * *

The sun shines down over Ponyville on a bright and clear Friday noon, revealing the scores of colorful ponies milling about the streets. It is an average day for the rustic town, with salesponies advertising their wares in the town square or in their small cubby hole shops, and the aromas of freshly made foodstuffs of all kinds mixing in the air to form a pleasant atmosphere.

"Would you smell that? It's the smell of soft bread pulled fresh from the oven. Isn't it just heavenly?" Rarity, the mare dressed in a simple sundress and hat, makes her way through the streets of Ponyville, accompanied by Fluttershy and the ever boisterous Pinkie Pie, who bounces along with every step.

"It does smell wonderful," Fluttershy admits in her soft musical voice, a small smile making its way across her comely face as she inhales the scent hanging in the hair.

"Ooh! That smells like Honey Baker's sourdough! You can make the best sandwiches with a single loaf of that! If we weren't meeting the girls for lunch, I'd definitely be going to get some!" Pinkie reveals excitedly, earning chuckles from her two companions. The three of them turn the corner into the square, where a restaurant complete with a set of outside tables is set up immediately to their right. "Speaking of whom, there they are! Good morning, girls...and Spike!"

Sitting at one of the tables by the restaurant were the three other ponies that Pinkie had mentioned as well as Spike, who was sitting on the top of the table with a bowl of gems in front of him. Rainbow flashes them a grin as they approached, beckoning them over with a hoof, while Applejack tips her hat and pulls out a chair for each of them. Twilight hardly looks up at the greeting, the mare forlornly gazing down at the tabletop.

"'And Spike' is right. Better not forget me," Spike remarks with a good natured grin, scooping up a handful of gems with a claw and chowing down on them.

"Spike, do slow down; you're getting chunks of gemstone all over the table!" Rarity fusses, promptly lifting a napkin with her magic and cleaning up the mess, while Applejack looks on with a roll of her eyes. "Do mind your manners. There are ladies at the table."

"Morning y'all...or is it afternoon now?" Applejack greets the three as they approached and sat down in their respective chairs. "Rarity, you didn't need to get all dressed up for a simple lunch meeting."

"Of course I did! A lady must always look her best when walking the streets, and even more so on special occasions such as a lunch between friends!" Rarity insists, flaunting her hat and flattening out nonexistent wrinkles in her sundress.

"Totally, I even wore my best," Rainbow replies with sarcasm, as she was wearing precisely nothing, as per usual. She then turns to Pinkie to greet her as well. "Morning, Pinkie Pie!"

"Is that a frown I see!?" Instead of acknowledging Rainbow, Pinkie's response is to gasp, and then immediately zip on top of the table directly in front of Twilight, somehow not knocking everything over. "Not on my watch! Twilight, can a kangaroo jump higher than a house?!"

"Uh…" Twilight looks up, her wide eyes blinking. It took her a few moments to come up with an answer for Pinkie's completely random question. "Maybe? I don't know anything about kangaroos…"

"Of course they can! Houses can't jump at all, silly!" Pinkie immediately responds, earning snorts and giggles from the others. "Did you know that Winona used to chase ponies around on a scooter a lot?"

"What…?" is all Twilight can say before Pinkie's randomness.

"Hold up, Winona did what now?" Applejack joins in, raising a brow.

"Yeah, it got so bad I had to take her scooter away!" Pinkie finishes, once again to the amusement of the other mares. Pinkie huffs when her jokes fail to bring a smile to Twilight's face. "Come on, those were some of my best jokes!"

"I'm sorry, Pinkie. It's not that I don't appreciate the effort, but…I've just got a lot on my mind," Twilight confesses.

"Whatever is the matter, darling?" Rarity asks with concern, using her magic to lower Pinkie down from the table. "Weren't you the one who suggested we all have lunch together today?"

"I know I was, but…" Twilight begins, but she trails off with a sigh.

"It's Seth, isn't it?" Rainbow emits with a flat brow, sounding completely unsurprised and unenthused. "He said something nasty to you, didn't he?"

"Well…" Twilight looks to be searching frantically for something to say, but beneath the scrutinizing gazes of her friends, she relents. "Yes, it's Seth. Let's wait for our food, and then I'll tell you over lunch."

There is a chorus of assent from the others, and they get to ordering their food when the waiter comes by. When a spread of sandwiches of various types and drinks lay on the table before them, Twilight begins.

"I can't say much, but...he's...going through a tough time right now, and I don't know how to help him," Twilight begins. "It's...starting to get to me."

"Seriously. I haven't seen her this frazzled since Discord," Spike chimed in, patting one of Twilight's hooves with his claw.

"What, is it still the whole 'alone in a town of ponies' thing?" Rainbow's ire starts to rise, her eyes narrowing. "I'm done letting him use that as an excuse. He keeps hurting my friends, and he needs to stop."

"It's not just that anymore, Rainbow," Twilight attempts to explain. "I can't tell you everything for the sake of his privacy, but you know how focused he seemed to be on getting out of town?"

"Yeah, he keeps using that as an excuse too," Rainbow retorts.

"He did originally come to work saying he was only gonna stay for a week or two," Applejack affirms, but then she recalled something else. "He told me on Tuesday he wasn't leaving no more. Something seemed off about him then too. Like he wasn't as focused or driven."

"Not to mention he completely forgot to come visit me, despite saying that he would," Rarity sniffs, looking offended. "Do you know how many outfits I've already made for him? As it stands, they're just hanging on the racks, completely unappreciated!"

"Something _did_ seem off about him," Rainbow finally admits, much to the surprise of the others, who knew well of her solid dislike for him. "I talked to him yesterday and he sounded so...out of it. He didn't even snap at me like he always does."

"He's getting worse," Twilight summarizes sadly. "I just...I just don't get him. I'm trying so hard, but he just doesn't understand. It seems like the more I try to help, the more he starts to hate me."

"Did something bad happen? Cuz he seemed fine until Tuesday," Applejack asks pointedly. "Even weirder, he didn't come to work today."

"He didn't?" Twilight looked up with horror.

"Nope. I figured the poor guy needed some rest after all," Applejack added. "Though now that we're all talking about it..."

"Oh no...I let him go, but I didn't think he'd…" Twilight whispered to herself, much to the confusion of the others. Suddenly, she turned to Rainbow and placed both of her hooves on one of hers. "Rainbow, I need to ask you a huge favor."

"Huh? Okay...but what is it? You're acting kinda weird," Rainbow looks uncomfortable beneath Twilight's fervent gaze, her hoof twitching in Twilight's grip.

"Will you please go find Seth for me?" Twilight pleads. Rainbow immediately adopts an expression that betrays just how little she wants to do that. "Please, he's not used to Equestria; what if he stumbles into someplace dangerous, like the Everfree?"

"Why me? Why not Applejack or Fluttershy?" Rainbow returns with reluctance. Fluttershy promptly sinks beneath the table, out of sight. Applejack just gives Rainbow an askance look.

"Because you're the fastest flier, and you could get to him before anything else happens. It's already been a day, and I'm worried," Twilight insists. Rainbow looks like she wants to complain more, but then she looks around to see everyone else staring at her expectantly.

"Fine, I'll go," Rainbow finally relents with bad grace. She wolfs down the rest of her meal and puts down her share of the pay, and then she gets up from the table and takes to the air. "Even though I know he's just gonna yell at me and tell me how much I shouldn't have bothered."

"Thank you so much, Rainbow. I know I'm asking a lot," Twilight expresses appreciatively, the frazzled mare letting out a sigh of relief. "Last I saw him, he was heading southeast past Fluttershy's house. I'll check Vinyl Scratch's house to see if he went home last night."

"Yeah yeah," Rainbow reaches down and tousles Twilight's mane with a hoof affectionately. "But you owe me a cupcake, you hear me?"

"I'll buy you three!" Twilight promises with a smile.

"And I'll throw in two more free!" Pinkie adds.

"Now we're talking!" With all the extra encouragement, Rainbow zips through the air at a breakneck speed, leaving nothing behind except for a rapidly fading multicolored trail.

I stare over the edge of the cliffside, unmoving. Ravenous hunger unlike that I've ever felt gnaws at my stomach, and my throat feels dry. My body is chilled and every slight breeze feels like a dagger against my skin. My hair is matted from grease and sweat, and the remains of dried tears cling to my cheeks. Yet I can't bring myself to move to alleviate any of these conditions. The pain and discomfort almost feels refreshing - like a way for me to physically feel the emptiness inside.

It's been hours and hours since I sat down. Applejack and Vinyl Scratch are probably wondering where I am. I know that should make me feel bad, but instead, I recognize that I'm doing them a favor. Now they won't have to think or stress about me, and they can go back to their ordinary, happy naive lives.

I keep thinking about my future. When I was in school, I believed I knew what I wanted in life. I just had to keep moving forward, keep making pragmatic decisions, and succeed. In the end, I would have ended up in a lucrative job. It may not have been the most glamorous future, it didn't matter to me at the time. As long as I had my music, my family, and my best friend, perhaps I could have found some form of happiness.

Perhaps I could have settled down with Amaryllis. She would have taken up a job that exercised her excellent math abilities and made just as much money as myself. Maybe we could have had a small house or an apartment together. I think I could have been happy, as long as she was there with me.

I scoff, tossing a rock over the edge of the cliff. These wishful thoughts… why should I be having them now? Besides, I shouldn't be feeling that way about Amaryllis. She was tough, reliable, and beautiful; I shouldn't disrespect her by feeling like this. I can't call it love; such a word is a pretty disguise for the ugliness of lust. The last thing she needed was some idiot lusting after her. The thought that I could feel anything of the sort towards her only disgusts me; she deserved better than that.

But now, to what do I have to look forward? Slaving away endless hours out in the elements, exhausting my body and crushing my spirit, only to earn a few meager bits with which to pay my rent? For what would I do all of that? I'm the first human to walk the earth in millenia, and it doesn't mean a damned thing. For everything that I've been through and all that I've endured, humanity is just going to go back to being extinct again. Nobody will care that I existed, or that I've died.

With that thought, I slowly, steadily, rise to my feet, never once taking my eyes away from the depths of the gorge. The longer I look, the more inviting the jagged rocks jutting out of the river appear to me. If that's all it's going to come down to… if all I'm doing is performing the same actions every day like a robot, then there's no point. Why should I linger, when the end result will be the same regardless?

I take one step closer to the edge of the cliff, my breath catching in my throat. My footsteps dislodge bits of rock and gravel, which plummet into the chasm below. The more I think about this, the more it seems like a good idea. I can't do this. I can't subsist for the rest of my life alone. More than anything, I want Amaryllis back by my side, to give my life some meaning again.

But I have to face the facts. I am alone. I will be alone for the rest of my life. Maybe Celestia and the rest of the ponies are right, and some of them are genuine. Yet even if that were true, it's too late. I don't think I'm capable of trusting another living creature, especially not a pony whose species I've little experience with.

I gaze at the rocks far below that will undoubtedly mean my death. Despite what I'm about to do, I find myself to be strangely calm. There are no more tears. My emotions feel numb, and even the hunger and thirst I feel seem to fade away to nothing.

I'm just tired… tired and ready for it to be over.

I've made my decision. Without delaying any longer, my foot moves forward, over the edge of the cliff into nothingness. The obvious result to such an action is a sudden loss of balance as my weight carries me right over the edge. I don't bother to flail or catch myself, even as one foot scraps against the cliffside.

A breath leaves my lungs as gravity swiftly takes over. My stomach feels nauseous as it struggles to keep up with my rapidly accelerating body. I close my eyes, knowing that it won't be long now.

Time seems to slow down, and I can't help but reflect over my past life. I can only wonder what my life would have been like if I'd have been born somewhere else. Maybe then, I wouldn't have turned out the way I did. Maybe then, I wouldn't feel so angry and bitter all the time. Maybe then, I would have had the chance to live a normal life.

I remember my childhood, when I was a naive fool with no idea what the world held in store for me. I had no idea how cruel humanity could be, nor did I let myself think about why people were as mean as they were… until one day, a single girl walked into my life, and ripped away my naivety to reveal the truth.

The sound of the rushing river draws ever closer, at a painfully slow pace. I allow myself one last smile, my thoughts filling with images of Amaryllis. Perhaps I'll be granted one last kindness, and I'll be able to see her again in whatever awaits for me beyond death. At long last, the sound of the rushing rapids overpowers my every thought, signalling my incoming demise.

A tremendous crack shatters the air like a thunderclap, and before I realize what's happening, something furry and warm presses against my body, two limbs grasping me tightly around the middle and holding me close. I open my eyes, but all I can see are the blinding colors of the rainbow.

I feel my trajectory evening out through a gradual curve, veering me away from what was supposed to be my imminent death without breaking every bone in my body. I'm moving at an impossibly fast speed, such that it's making my body ache and the sounds of the river distort. The only thing I can think about is that I haven't died like I'd intended. What the hell is going on, and why haven't I perished? Or is that what this is, and there is some sort of reaper?

Whatever it is that has me eventually slows down, and lays me to rest on my back atop what feels like a grassy field, the individual blades tickling my back and making me itch. I keep my eyes closed, liking the idea of the next life being some sort of meadow. Yet, I start to suspect that something is amiss due to the faint rushing of the rapids in the distance...and the feminine panting that I hear right next to me.

"Whew! That was seriously close, even for me!"

My heart stops as I recognize that scratchy voice immediately. There's only one creature I know that talks like that. A helpless rage surfaces within me, my hands tearing at the grass. This has to be some kind of sick joke. I've gone through so much, and these ponies won't even let me die!?

My eyes shoot open and I force myself into a sitting position despite the pain; sure enough, Rainbow Dash is sitting on the grass not far from me, her mane damp with sweat and hanging in tangles over her face. She flashes me a breathless smile...which immediately drops when she notices the intense glare I'm directing at her.

"Whoa, relax, buddy. You're safe now, alright? I caught you," Rainbow attempts to assure me, but it only has the opposite effect.

"Safe?! Why!? Why can't you ponies ever leave me alone!? Why can't you just let me go!? What did I do to deserve this!?" I yell at her furiously, my voice rising to an almost primal shout immediately, taking her very much aback. I press a hand to my face, trying to keep myself from sobbing despite my fury. "I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for you! Who the _hell_ do you think you are!?"

Rainbow's eyes are as wide as dinner plates after my tirade… but it doesn't take her long to snap out of it. Her eyes flashing with anger, she gets to her hooves and glares right back at me.

"What do you _mean_ , 'who the hell do I think I am!?'" Rainbow retaliates, her voice rising as well as she echoes my own bad language back at me. "I saw you falling into the gorge, so I had to pull off a Sonic Rainboom just so I could reach you in time, in case you hadn't noticed! A simple 'thank you' would be nice!"

"Thank you!? You think I'm going to _thank_ you for this!? You think I wanted you anywhere near me!? I left Ponyville, just like I said I would! You were done with me for good! Why did you come out after me!?" I shoot right back, clenching my fists so hard that my uncut nails start to draw blood from my palms. "Why couldn't you just let it end!?"

"Uh, in case you didn't hear me the first time, I came out to save you, which I did quite awesomely, I might add!" Rainbow waves a hoof in front of me as though what she'd said was the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, what the hay were you even doing, walking off a cliff like that!? It's like you were trying to...to…"

Rainbow suddenly trails off as the realization hits her all at once. I watch as the anger on her face fades away entirely, to be replaced by pure and unadulterated shock. She stares at me with wide eyes, her jaw still frozen in the middle of her sentence. She starts to tremble, the very thought of suicide no doubt entirely alien to her. The thought must never even occur to these happy ponies in their happy and idyllic world.

Suddenly, Rainbow closes the distance between us and her hoof slams into my face with so much force that my head snaps to the right, pain exploding from the point of impact and white stars erupting in my vision. I cry out and clutch a hand to my cheek, staring at Rainbow with disbelief. She really just hit me… but damn, she hits _hard._

"Why...why would you…?" Rainbow stammers, and to my shock, I can see tears glistening in her eyes. She glares at me tearfully, her body shaking with emotion. "You… you were, weren't you? Answer me!"

"What are you getting so upset about?" I demand incredulously. "This is the way it should be. Once I'm gone, you can go back to living your life without having to think about me. Isn't that what you want?"

"You… You _idiot_! How could you even _think_ that that's what I want!?" Rainbow shouts back at me, the volume of her shout rivaling that of mine only a few moments ago. "Why would I ever want you to...to die!? Wait, I have a better question. Why would _you_ ever want to die!?"

"I'm not answering that. What I choose to do with my life is none of your business," I manage to get out between gritted teeth. In the blink of an eye, Rainbow is in my face, the fervor in her eyes serving to astonish me even further. I can't fathom why it is she would be so upset about this, when she's hated me since the first time we met. "Wha…?"

"No, you know what? I don't have to take that! You can't pull something like this and expect me to pretend I didn't see anything!" Rainbow asserts, jabbing a hoof into my chest with nearly enough force to knock me over. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me why, buster!"

I scoff at that. "What do you think you're going to do about it? If I didn't tell you anything before, I'm certainly not going to tell you anything now." I turn my back on her and start to walk away, with the intention of making my way back to the top of the gorge. I'm not entirely sure where I am now, but if I use Ponyville as a reference point, I should be able to find my way back. "I'm leaving. It's best you go back to town and forget about-uuh!?"

I don't get more than a few feet before Rainbow zips around me and shoves me backwards with both of her front hooves, knocking me off my feet and onto my rear. I attempt to rise, but before I get even halfway up, Rainbow's hoof slams down on my sternum, forcing me back down and pinning me there.

"You're not… going… anywhere. I'm _making_ this my business," Rainbow expresses with a low growl. I struggle in an attempt to get free, but to my surprise, I can't budge her. When I take a closer look at her, I note the presence of powerful muscles rippling just beneath her skin. Comparing them to the other ponies I've seen, they're exceptional. This can only mean I'm looking at a pony who takes very good care of her body. "You're staying right there until you talk to me!"

"To hell with this!" Snapping, I reach up, and with as much strength as I can muster, I punch Rainbow right in her exposed belly. Rainbow's eyes shoot wide and she coughs, the wind leaving her lungs and her grip faltering just enough for me to throw her aside and break into a run. I will not stay and be bullied by this goddamn pony!

Despite my attempts to put as much distance from her as possible, I quickly learn that I might as well have tried to run to the moon. As much as I hate to admit it, her bragging had some basis in truth. With her speed, I can't get more than a few meters away before she's already caught up to me.

"Get back here!" Rainbow yells, her hooves already reaching out for me. I dive down and scrape up a pile of dirt and grass, and throw it directly into her face. She pauses and frantically tries to clear her eyes. "Gah! You cheating little... !"

With her so indisposed, I double back and sprint past her, running down a hill and into a cleft in the rock that looks like it'll take me deeper into the canyon. Like before, I don't manage to get very far before Rainbow swoops down from above and cuts me off. Unable outrun her again, my hand drifts to my rifle. All I can think of is getting her away from me, despite the fact that I'd have to harm her to do so. I unsling my rifle from my back and swing it at her desperately.

"Whoa!" Rainbow veers around the strike easily and circles around me, and then she immediately propels herself back just enough to avoid my second swing. She glares at me and boldly intercepts my third swing, catching the muzzle of the rifle on the cannon bone of a forehoof and kicking my wrist hard enough to dislodge the weapon from my grip. "Put that down before you hurt someone!"

The rifle now skidding across the canyon floor near me, I have nothing else other than my fists. My right fist careens forward and collides with her chest...hitting solid muscle. I cry out in pain, nursing my aching hand. Rainbow takes the opportunity to bash her two front hooves into my chest, once again knocking me flat on my back, my head just barely avoiding the rock and landing on grass instead.

I don't rise again, my chest heaving from the exertion. My body is already weak from hunger, thirst, and exhaustion; As much as I hate to admit it, I can't keep this up.

"So...are you done?" Rainbow asks simply, the mare sitting down on her haunches a few feet away. She takes a moment to wipe some of the debris off of her muzzle from earlier, making a disgusted face as it smeared into her fur.

"Shut up," I groan miserably, my body aching all over. Other than that, I can't come up with anything else to say, even after my breath returns to me. I remain silent for several minutes, trying to think of another way out of this, but eventually I realize that there isn't one. Rainbow isn't going to let me leave until I give her a reason, and it's become clear that she can enforce that. I curse the situation that I've somehow landed in. What I can't understand is why Rainbow would have any reason to be this far away from town in the first place.

Rainbow waits for me to say something, her impatience clear to see. After the first few minutes, she starts to fidget in place; one hoof will start fiddling in the gravel, or a wing will start to flap idly. One time, she even starts humming under her breath. Clearly, she's not used to staying in one place for this long. Yet for some reason, she's putting in the effort for me.

"Why are you doing this?" I finally ask after roughly ten minutes pass. Rainbow glances at me with some relief, but that quickly turns to confusion.

"Huh? Doing what?" At first, it sounds like Rainbow is mocking me, but when I glance over at her, she looks genuinely confused by my question.

"This. Saving me. Forcing me to talk to you. Why do you even care whether I live or die?" I demand helplessly.

"You're kidding. You even need to ask why I care if someone dies?" Rainbow looks at me as though I had just told her the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.

"Of course I do! You've made it very clear how much you hate me. Now you're suddenly turning around and saving my life, even though I didn't want you to?" I snap back, irritated. "So what is it you hope to gain? Is it just because I'm human?"

"Okay, there's so much wrong with what you just said," Rainbow huffs stubbornly. "Look, I don't care that you're human. News flash, you're not exactly the only species to walk around on two legs. And, I never said I hated you. You're just an insufferable jerk who's mad all the time and is like… allergic to fun."

"Then why? Why can't you have just let me die? It's what I want…" Before I finish talking, a rock hits me in the side of the head, causing me to yelp.

"Stop talking like that! I'll punch you again!" Rainbow suddenly yells at me in a shaking voice. "Saving someone is common sense! Besides, you're not a bad guy…"

"Are you serious!? How can you even say that, when every single time we've met, we've argued? What about all the times I've 'hurt your friends?' Those were your words," I snap back incredulously.

"Hey, I said you were a jerk! But I'm also saying that there's a decent guy somewhere beneath all the… the jerk," Rainbow retorts rather ineloquently. Before I can protest, she continues. "I was standing right there when you gave that ribbon back to Flitter. Her sister gave that to her when they were fillies; I've never seen her with it off. You should have seen the smile she wore for the rest of the day."

"That doesn't mean anything. I just happened to find it," I point out.

"Now you're lying," Rainbow replies instantly, causing me to freeze. "I spoke to Clear Skies. She told me you saw Flitter, stopped, and went back for the ribbon. You knew exactly what you were doing. So don't try to hide it from me!"

"Fine…" I admit grudgingly, disgusted at myself for allowing her to verbally drive me into a corner. "So what, you're trying to save me because you feel like you owe me?"

"No! Can you stop putting words in my mouth? I saved you because I wanted to save you! Besides, I'd have done this way sooner if I knew your issues were this bad!" Rainbow shoots back with annoyance, baffling me further. "Besides, this isn't about me, so stop dodging my question!"

"What question?" I ask in a vain attempt to buy myself a little more time.

"Why did you jump off of that cliff!?" Rainbow demands once again, moving even closer to me. "What was so bad, that you tried to… to… kill yourself?"

"You wouldn't understand. You've never lost a thing in your life," I reply bitterly after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah? Try me. Neither of us are leaving until I get an answer," Rainbow repeated her decision for the third time. Deprived of any other choice, I let a long, heavy sigh. I can't believe I'm about to do this.

"Who would you say your closest friend is?" I ask. The oddity of my question gets Rainbow to raise an eyebrow.

"Closest? Gosh, that's a hard question...hm...maybe Fluttershy? Ah, but Applejack is pretty fun to mess around with. There's Twilight….and.." Rainbow appears to really struggle with this question, making me somewhat envious of her wide circle of friends.

"Now imagine all of them were to disappear from your life, without any warning." That statement gets Rainbow to blanch, looking horrified by the prospect. "Now imagine you knew whose fault that was. What would you do?"

"Could I get them back again?" Rainbow asks hopefully. When I answer in the negative, her head droops, the mare looking clearly distraught by the scenario I'd just presented her. "Then...I'd find the jerk who took them all away and make him pay!"

"Now what if you couldn't even do that?" I press further, one hand clenching into a fist. Rainbow was silent, her jaw hanging slightly open.

"I… I… don't… know," Rainbow finally admits, the mare completely at a loss. At last, the meaning of my words finally dawns on her. "Wait, so that's what got you like this?"

"More or less. I had a goal...but now I have nothing. So what would it matter if I died? I was never meant to exist in this era, anyway," I answer softly. "Are you satisfied? If so, it's best you leave, and forget about me."

"Not happening, buddy," Rainbow expresses with the same amount of fervor as before, much to my shock and dismay. "I still can't agree with you."

"Wha…?"

"So what if all of my friends were gone? That doesn't mean they never existed in the first place!" Rainbow begins, her brow set with determination. "They would want me to keep living! Actually, if I were the one to disappear, I'd never forgive my friends if they gave up like you're doing right now!"

"So what the hell do you expect me do!?" I demand, honestly wanting her to give me an answer.

"Not throw yourself off a cliff," Rainbow replies matter-of-factly. "Seriously, whoever your friends were, this is not what they'd want!"

"And how would you know what they'd want?" I retort. "You know absolutely nothing about them!"

"I don't need to! If they were friends of yours at all, you dying is the last thing they'd want!" Rainbow counters. "They'd want you to move on, make more friends, and be happy!"

"Again with the friends! How can you even suggest that? Am I supposed to just pretend my friend never existed?" I respond, frustrated.

"What? You can have more than one friend, genius! Making a new friend doesn't mean replacing the old one!" Rainbow informs me as if she were talking to an idiot, irritating me further.

"So what, you expect me to just get over it and make friends with the ponies!?" I growl, disgusted by the very thought. "You think I can trust any of you?"

"There it is again; you thinking we're some kind of bad ponies! I don't know why you keep saying that, but we're not out to ruin your life!" Rainbow huffs.

"You could have fooled me…"

"Actually, you know what? Give me a chance!" Rainbow suddenly tells me, her eyes betraying just how serious she is. I blink at the sudden request. It sounds an awful lot like she's asking to be my friend. She notices the look on my face. "Yeah, you heard me. I don't know what happened to you to make you hate us so much, but I'll prove to you that I'm not like that!"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I, Rainbow Dash, am going to stick by your side from here on out. You hear me? I'll show you just what kind of pony I am!" Rainbow presses her hoof to my arm, the mare staring at me right in the eyes. "From now on, you and I are friends!"

"What the hell?" I say with complete surprise. Out of everything that she could have said, that was the last thing I expected to hear. "You can't just declare yourself my friend!"

"Too bad, cuz I just did," Rainbow sticks her tongue out at me childishly. "I know you're not all jerk, and a friend is just what you need to get through this."

"Yeah? And what if I hurt you again, like I've been doing to all your friends?" I insist. This whole conversation has thrown me for a loop. I've never opened myself up like this to anyone except Amaryllis. I hate the way that I feel right now, but I keep telling myself that I had no other choice but to tell her. Rainbow gave me no other option.

"I'll take that chance! Friends take chances on each other, even when we don't know what's gonna happen!" Rainbow continues, never hesitating even for a moment. My eyes widen, her words sounding oddly familiar. No… it can't be. Not again. There's no way the two of them could be that similar. "So how's it fair if I'm the only one taking that chance? You'll never know if you can trust me if you keep running away all the time!"

I honestly don't have a response. This isn't the first time I've heard that argument used against me. Only one person has said something like that to me… and she was my only friend.

"So you get it now? I've got your back. All you gotta do for me is… live. Just live, okay?" Rainbow's voice breaks a little at her last request, the amount of emotion in her words clear even to someone like me. "That's all."

"That's all?" I repeat, my emotions jumbled up in my mind. Rainbow nods solemnly. That has to be the hardest anyone has ever fought back against and for me, when they seemingly stand nothing to gain from it. I honestly don't know what to think. Despite everything I feel and believe, part of me starts to think that maybe she isn't lying to me.

I don't get it. We haven't gotten along from the moment we met. Not one positive word has been shared between us, and even now I can still remember the animosity I felt towards her every time I remembered her face. I don't understand why she cares so much whether I live or die. I don't understand why she doesn't just go back to the way her life was before she met me.

"That's all," Rainbow affirms. "So...can we get up and go back to town now? Or do I have to yell at you some more?"

"I think you've made your point," I grunt, too mentally drained to continue this conversation any further. My rage is slowly dying down, leaving nothing behind save for a mess of convoluted emotions of which I can't make much sense. The only thing of which I'm sure is that I don't know what I want to do anymore; I need some time to think. "But I have one last question."

"Sure! What is it?" Rainbow responds curiously.

"Why were you out here in the first place?" I query, at last getting to ask the question that's been bothering me ever since she appeared. "I went this far away from town purely so that none of you could find me."

"Oh that? Well, I was looking cuz Twilight asked me to," Rainbow confesses. I turn my head to look at her incredulously. If the only reason she was out here was because she was asked to be… "Hey, stop looking at me like that! She may have told me to find you, but I meant everything I said!"

"Right," I reply shortly, my curiosity sated. "It's probably because she doesn't want to look like an idiot in front of the princess."

"You didn't see her face when she asked me to go," Rainbow points out stubbornly. "It wasn't just her, either. Applejack's missing a worker, Rarity apparently has been designing up a storm… like it or not, you've got ponies worrying about you."

"I've been here too long," I groan as the last of my plans falls apart. The first thing I told myself when I first arrived to Equestria was that I wouldn't get attached or let any of these ponies get attached. As it turns out, even as cold as I am, I can't even do that right. I yelp as Rainbow starts to impatiently prod my side with a forehoof. "Alright, fine, I'm getting up."

I grunt and struggle to my feet, picking up my rifle from where it had fallen earlier. I glance back towards Ponyville. The thought of going back still doesn't appeal to me, but now it doesn't seem as hellish as it did before, for some reason. With a sigh, I start to walk, Rainbow keeping pace just beside me.

"You're probably hungry, cuz you were out here all the time. Did you know I had to miss lunch?" Rainbow complained as we walked."I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning, so I'm starving!"

I roll my eyes; this is going to be a long walk back.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hell, this chapter was so hard to get through. As many people have pointed out, this one was very much in need of a rewrite. So backed by both Brave-Hooves and scaredofbs, I set out to make this chapter the best that I could make it.

The change list is too massive to put here. I'll have to write that up in a separate blog post. Suffice to say, I cut a lot of scenes and added a bunch more. The story is starting to change pretty drastically, and I suspect it'll only change more.

The song used at the end of the chapter is Dead to the World, by Nightwish, and it's the theme song for early Seth. I'd like to ask you to look over the lyrics of the song; they're very meaningful, and partially inspired Seth's character in the first place.

And because a lot of people liked this note, I'm gonna keep it here. All the different ways the other ponies would have saved him.

 _Pinkie flew up with her weird pedaling flying machine, grabbing Seth out of the air. "Yoink! Silly Seth, you're not a balloon, you don't float!"_

 _Twilight captures Seth on the way down with her magic. "Really Seth? I have magic. Seriously, stop being a pansy and take your friendship medicine."_

 _Applejack hurls her lasso and grabs Seth by the ankle with it, nearly killing him with the whiplash. "YEEHAW!"_

 _Rarity catches him with her magic. "Honestly darling? Suicide must be done in style! Throwing oneself off cliffs is so last season."_

 _Fluttershy rides in on a fucking eagle to catch him. "YOU. SHALL NOT. FALL!"_

Lastly, please do leave me some comments on this chapter, telling me what you think. I worked very hard on this chapter, and it'll take you a fraction of a fraction of the time it took me to write this. Thanks so much!

If you want to come and speak with me more personally, please come join me in my Discord Server! You can reach me at darkterraform 4122


	13. Seth's Renewal

"I don't think going back is a good idea," I voice with trepidation, coming to a stop just as Ponyville comes into sight. Rainbow, who has been flying just ahead of me this whole time, wheels around to face me.

"What? Why not? We're almost there," the mare presses a hoof to her rumbling stomach. "I'm hungry!"

"So you've said three times so far," I return wryly. "The thing is, I left Ponyville without planning to return. I...told Twilight some nasty things. She was getting too pushy, and I took everything out on her."

"That explains why she was so down in the dumps today." Rainbow turns around to give me a glare. "You should apologize to her. She was seriously worried about you."

"If she was before, she certainly isn't now." The thought of apologizing for what I said doesn't sit well with me; if I had said something I didn't mean—sure—but those were my true feelings. "But you're missing my point. I probably angered Twilight, I skipped out on farm work even though I gave my word to Applejack I'd help her with the harvest, and I didn't even bother making my first payment to Vinyl yet."

"Sooo…?" Rainbow seems clueless as to where I'm going with this. "What's your point?"

"They likely don't want me in town would be better if I stayed far away." Instead of understanding the sentiment, Rainbow just gives me a deadpan stare.

"We were just over this," she reminds me. "Nopony is gonna hold this against you. If I held a grudge every time I argued with my friends, I wouldn't have any friends left."

"They're not my friends," I say plainly, much to Rainbow's frustration.

"Of course they are! I mean, we're friends now so, by extension, they are too!" Rainbow points out stubbornly.

"First of all, only one of us seems to think we're friends. Second of all, that's not how that works," I say, already feeling the beginnings of a migraine taking form.

"It is too how it works!"

"What are you, five years old?"

"If I'm five years old and I understand friendship, what's that say about you?" Rainbow shoots back with a smirk. I do a double take, looking back at her with surprise. The point she's making isn't what shocks me. Rather, it's the fact that she's smack talking me. My head tilts to one side as Rainbow prods my cheek with a hoof. "Are you two years old, wittle guy?"

"Quit that," I grunt, pushing her hoof away from my face. A hint of nostalgia comes back to me as I recall the times Amaryllis and I would talk smack to each other similarly. Granted, I'd typically end up on the losing end of those conversations, but they were fun nonetheless. So lost was I in my grief and need for revenge, I'd forgotten what that felt like. "Fine, I guess we should keep going."

"Good! Sooner we're back, the sooner I can eat!" The two of us start to get moving again. I gaze at her for several moments as we walk, as if trying to etch her features into my mind. Yet no matter how long I look, I can't figure out what to think about her.

* * *

Ponyville looks the same as always. It's still early in the afternoon, so activity is high. And despite the fact that it hasn't changed, it feels different to be back. If there's no way back then this is home now, whether I like it or not. I suppose I should bother learning my way around the place.

The throng of ponies in the street assault my eyes with their various colors. I find my gaze lingering on some of them. These are ponies whom I'll be living with from here on out, so learning their names might prove beneficial to me.

I know what I should do, but finding the motivation to do any of it is turning out to be a challenge. The questions still linger on my mind—why should I bother? What's the point? I suppose I still have much to think about. I just need to find the time to do so.

"Rainbow! You found him!" That's Twilight's voice; just hearing it causes me to wince. I close my eyes and take a few brief moments to mentally prepare myself, even as I hear the sound of hooves rapidly approaching. When I open my eyes, Twilight is standing right in front of me, looking very relieved, yet still very much concerned. There isn't a trace of anger in her expression, despite what I said earlier. "Seth, I'm so glad to see you! Are you alright? I heard from Vinyl that you didn't come home last night and I was so worried that something might have happened to you!"

Behind Twilight, I can see several more ponies catching up to her: Rarity, Applejack, Vinyl, Pinkie, and the one Twilight referred to as Fluttershy. I grimace; I hadn't planned on dealing with them all at once. I don't even know what to say to Twilight, for crying out loud.

"I'm fine for the most part. I just needed some time away from Ponyville," I reply, disliking how close to lying I am. There's no way in hell I'm telling any of these ponies about what really happened on the cliff. The only possible outcome from that would be in them becoming insufferable in their attempts to 'fix me'. "You didn't need to bother sending one of you after me...especially one that you know I don't get along with."

"Of course I did! Nobody had heard from you for nearly twelve hours!" Twilight returned, her tone making it clear what she thought of my words.

"Seriously, dude, I was about to get the guard involved before Twilight found me," Vinyl chimed in as she caught up with us. "If you're gonna wander off, let somepony know first, okay?"

"As far as we knew, you went missing. Rainbow's the fastest there is, so if she couldn't find you, nopony could," Applejack adds, the farmer putting on a smile as her eyes meet mine. I don't get it. It was only twelve hours; it's not as though I were gone for days. "By the way, why are y'all covered in dirt?"

"I would like to know the answer to that question myself. You both look absolutely atrocious!," Rarity comments, turning up her nose at our current condition. My skin is scraped and smeared with dirt due to our altercation, and my jeans are torn in several places. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, Rainbow Dash. Your muzzle is practically a different color!"

"I...uhh…" I'm finding it hard to come up with an answer, especially when pressured by the gaze of all these different ponies wanting answers.

"I pushed him down a hill," Everyone's attention switches over to Rainbow brushing her mane sheepishly with a hoof. "What? He was being a jerk."

"And your muzzle?" Rarity questions.

"I shoved her face into said hill," I join in on the story Rainbow is conveniently weaving. The fact that she's not telling them about what really happened is both surprising and relieving. I glance up at her gratefully—a glance that she catches and gives a discrete wink in return. "I just said we didn't get along. I don't know why you're acting so surprised."

"We're cool now though," Rainbow hastily assures them. The other ponies look at one another, and then back at her, not entirely convinced by that.

"It's fine. More importantly, are we done here?" Now _I_ get the odd looks; no doubt because I didn't refute Rainbow's words. I don't know if I'd call us "cool," but I'm not about to argue while surrounded by eight other ponies that would most certainly gang up on me. "This is starting to feel a whole lot like an interrogation, and I'm not really in the mood."

"Ain't nopony interrogating you, Seth," Applejack stepped forward to stand in between Twilight and Rarity. "Now, I don't know much about what's going on with you, but s'far as I hear, you're not here cuz you wanna be. If you need time off, you can have it."

I avert my eyes, feeling distinctly uncomfortable by her understanding words. However, I don't get a chance to respond before Rarity jumps in.

"Don't forget about all the clothes I've made for you. I've been waiting on them for days. Why don't you stop by the boutique first? I'll even let you use my shower to clean up. You look positively dreadful, dear."

I roll my eyes. "Thanks."

She's right, however. If I'm going to be staying here, I need clothes more than ever, maybe even that shower. The time I've spent here has not been kind to my hair; it's stringy, greasy, and matted—nothing like the silky smooth feel and neatness that I once worked so hard to maintain.

"I've also got some leftovers from last night's dinner, if you wanna just stay home and relax," Vinyl adds, giving me yet another option on what to do with the rest of my day.

"Sounds like you have a lot on your plate!" Twilight chimes in next. Pinkie giggles beside her, causing her to check her wording. "Er, no pun intended. Oh, I could help you plan if you'd like! I find having a well organized schedule is a key factor in reducing day-to-day stress!"

"I'm thoroughly capable of managing my own time, thank you." I decide to nip that in the bud right away; the thought of Twilight micromanaging my schedule is less than appealing to me. I glance at the two ponies that have legitimate claims on my time and sigh; neither option seems particularly exciting at the moment. "It would make more sense if I got some work done with Applejack today before visiting you, Rarity."

"Works for me. No sense in gettin' all dolled up and then comin' to work," Applejack replies with a nod.

"I suppose that's true, but I must insist you come to see me the very instant you finish up at the farm! I guarantee you'll be pleased with what I've designed!" Rarity insists with only a slight hint of disappointment present in her voice.

"I intend to pass by, you don't need to be so pushy," I say with some irritation. "Applejack, can we _please_ go?"

"You sure you're up for it? Like I said, I don't mind givin' you time if you need it."

"Anything's better than staying here," I shove my hands into my pockets. "I need to get out of your way so you can all go back to doing whatever it is you were doing before I disrupted your day yet again."

"Even though everyone seems convinced everything is fine, Twilight still looks like she's wants to say something. The possibility of another argument with her is already causing a headache to form behind my eyes.

"What the hay, I'll go too. Applejack, do you have food at your place? I had to miss lunch, so I'm hungry!" Rainbow interjected before Twilight could get started, earning a huff from the latter. I never thought I'd say this, but thank God she's here. This could have gotten so much worse had Twilight figured out what I tried to do.

"I always got plenty of food. I don't mind letting y'all eat if ya need to," Applejack says. "Anyhoo, we're all good here?"

"I'm good. Catch ya at home, Seth," Vinyl replies, breaking away from the group. "See you later. You too, Dash. You coming to my next gig, right?"

"Ha! As if I'd miss it." Rainbow says, earning a grin from Vinyl.

"I guess we're done. I'm glad you're okay, Seth," Twilight finally relents, although she doesn't look all that satisfied. I notice Rainbow giving me a pointed look—she wanted me to apologize to Twilight.

"Whatever," is all I can bear to say to her before joining Applejack as we start to make our way to the farm. I hear Rainbow huff disapprovingly behind me, but I don't pay her any attention. I may have been overly harsh on Twilight, but I wouldn't feel right apologizing for it. I shouldn't have to apologize for saying the truth, harsh though it may be.

"You sound beat," Applejack comments, noticing how out of breath I sound. I can't bring myself to answer immediately—I don't recall the last time I felt well-rested or comfortable. "You sure you don't need time to rest?"

I shake my head to clear the fuzziness away. "If I let myself relax for even a second, I'll be out for days," I say, earning some amusement from the two ponies.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Rainbow retorted as she performed a few lazy twirls in the air. "Sleeping for days is the best!"

"Don't you go influencin' Seth with your bad habits now, Rainbow Dash."

"They're not bad habits! I still get things done!" Rainbow shoots back. The two of them start to bicker good-naturedly with one another, until I eventually decide to just tune them out.

As the farm comes into view, I shake my head in disgust. Despite everything, nothing has changed. I'm still in the same situation I've been in since I learned of Sombra's death. There's no real future for me except to keep working on this damn farm day after day. Like a machine, but at least a machine doesn't feel.

I glance at Rainbow, who is currently attempting to talk around Applejack's hoof, for whatever reason. Rainbow said that I shouldn't give up… that Amaryllis wouldn't want me to give up. But what else am I supposed to do, then?

"Alright, let's settle down now," Applejack finally brings me back to reality as the three of us reach the farm. "I'll whip us up some lunch real quick. Seth, if you wanna get started, there's some laundry that needs foldin' out in the yard. Or you could sit by and wait. Makes no difference to me."

"I'll get to work on the laundry," I say. Applejack nods and points to where all the laundry is gathered for me—a clothesline out front containing towels and bedsheets.

"Alright, I'll bring lunch out when it's done. You comin' with me, Dash?" Applejack askes.

"Nah, I'll wait out here with Seth," Rainbow responds. Applejack raises one eyebrow, and Rainbow starts to look rather uncomfortable under her gaze. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just thought you two didn't get along, is all," Applejack slowly repeats my words back to us.

"Yeah, but I said we were cool. Seth and I are buds now!" Rainbow quickly proclaims. If Applejack could look any more skeptical than she does right now, I would be frankly impressed. She then glances at me anxiously, as if worried about how I am reacting. Rainbow looks at me as well.

It would have been easier for her to keep that little titbit to herself. At least then she could get by without having to justify herself to her friends. Is she deliberately choosing to make things harder on herself?

"Well then, 'bud', if you're feeling so chummy, how about helping me with the laundry?" The sarcasm is practically dripping from my tone. Applejack lets out a sigh of relief, before chuckling.

"Work? Yeah, right! This time, I'm here for moral support!" Rainbow declares. She then zips up to the skies, soaring all the way up to the cloud layer. As I watch incredulously, she tears away a pony-sized chunk of cloud and brings it all the way down to us, a few feet overhead. She then plops down on top of it as though it were no different than a piece of furniture, a smug expression on her face. "You can do it!"

I stare up at her with one eye twitching. "...I don't even know what to say," I express with exasperation as I turn away from her. I'm not even going to try to reason how she did what she did with the cloud. "I'm ever so glad to have such a dependable source of motivation watching over me."

"You're welcome!" Rainbow's reply sounds so disgustingly smug I feel the strong desire to flip her right off of that cloud, if such a thing were even possible.

"Right. Well, y'all have fun now. I'll be back in a few," Applejack tells us, the farmer pony smiling warmly at the interaction between Rainbow and myself.

She retreats back to the farmhouse, leaving me alone with Rainbow. A silence falls between us as I get to work, doing my best to ignore Rainbow's presence behind me. Yet this only results in the return of my prior thoughts.

I have to admit one thing to myself. Rainbow was right; Amaryllis would find my current state totally unacceptable. She was always the one to cheer me up whenever I was down, typically by dealing me a merciless tongue-lashing of cold, hard logic that would help me recognize how stupid I was being. Even now, I can already hear her in my head, calling me 'princess' and asking me if I wanted a hankie to cry in.

I smile bitterly at the thought. I've never thought about it before, but meeting her in that classroom that one day was probably the best thing to ever happen to me, despite the rocky start to our relationship. I shudder to think what might have come of me if I'd never met her. I might not even have made it this far in the first place..

What I don't understand is that even though I know Amaryllis would knock me back into shape out of this funk I'm in, I honestly don't know what she'd tell me to do. I'd spent my whole life following a plan that was laid out for me. Now that I don't even have that any more, I'm at a loss.

"Rainbow?" I get her attention as I fold up another set of towels. It makes me disappointed in myself that I have to ask her for help, but she's literally the only pony now that knows the extent of my feelings. "What keeps you going?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Rainbow lifts her head from the cloud, looking confused by my sudden question.

"What gets you out of bed in the morning? What do you say when people ask you what's next?" I elaborate. Understanding dawns on Rainbow's face, and she presses the tip of a hoof to her muzzle as she ponders my questions.

"That's easy! It's-" Applejack frustratingly chose that moment to return from the farmhouse with a picnic basket hanging from her mouth. "Hold that thought."

Once Applejack arrived, she spread out a blanket on the grass, and the three of us dig into a meal of cheese sandwiches and apple slices. Despite the simplicity, it tastes delicious, especially after a full twelve hours of running on empty.

"I still got a bunch more apple trees to buck before the snows come in, but I got a few other chores that need doin' around the farm," Applejack addresses me as we eat. She passes me a piece of paper. "I wrote up a list. Once y'all are done with laundry, if you could hit each of these before the sun goes down, I'd appreciate it."

"Applejack, I can't read," I deadpan.

"Oh yeah. Give it to Rainbow then. At least then she can say she did _something._ " I shrug and pass the paper to Rainbow, who glances over it once and then tucks it beneath her chest. "That reminds me; you're sure you're okay taking time off work, Rainbow?"

"Oh that?" Rainbow waves a hoof dismissively as she finishes up her meal. "It's fine. All I gotta do is clear up a few clouds by the end of the day. Even Cloud Chaser could do that."

"If you say so." Applejack finishes up her meal as well and starts cleaning up the spread. "I'll leave you to it, then. I'll come get you if I need anything special. No more shoving each other down hills now, ya hear?"

"No promises," Rainbow calls after her. She waits several minutes until she's sure Applejack is completely out of sight before turning to me. "So to answer your question, I'm going to be a member of the Wonderbolts!"

"I have no idea what those are." I say as I get back to working on the laundry, feeling pleasantly sated for the time being.

"You don't know who the-!?" Rainbow explodes before quickly calming down. "Right, new to Equestria. Listen up, then!" While she drones on and in about these 'Wonderbolts', the excitement in her words is palpable. "So, in summary, the Wonderbolts are only the coolest, fastest, and most skilled team of flying pegasi in all of Equestria! And they only accept the best into their ranks!"

"The 'fastest,' huh? I thought you said _you_ were the fastest flier in Equestria," I turn towards her, a smirk already on my lips. "Are you freely admitting that there are ponies out there better than you?"

"Hey, I _am_ the fastest flier in Equestria! They...just don't know that yet," Rainbow scratches the back of her neck sheepishly with one hoof. She laughed nervously. "There's more to being a Wonderbolt than just being fast. But I'm gonna keep practicing until they recognize my greatness!"

"So that's your dream, huh?" I finish folding a set of bedsheets and place it neatly in the basket with the rest. I look over at her, feeling envious at her innate sense of purpose. "So everything you do, you do towards that goal."

"Not _everything_. That's my end game, but before that, there's all my friends. It's not cool if I had to do all this on my own, right?" Rainbow points out. "Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Twilight; I've got all these cool ponies around me."

"Right...friends." I grab the next sheet with a little more force than I'd intended, nearly causing it to fall on the grass. "That must be nice for you; to know what you want, have friends to support you no matter what. I don't even have that anymore."

"Why not? What did you want to do back when...before you came to Equestria?" Rainbow hops back into her cloud, crossing her front hooves and gazing down at me curiously. Her question causes me to pause, no quick answer coming to my mind. What exactly was my dream back then?

"I…I don't know," I honestly admit. It didn't feel like it at the time, but is it possible even back then, I didn't have much of a purpose? Didn't I have some greater meaning to aim towards? I thought I did, but upon closer inspection, Amaryllis was involved in every single one of my goals. Once again, I realize just how much she meant to me. Without her, I'd honestly would have felt no different than I feel right now. I let out a sharp exhale to relieve some of the stress I'm feeling.

"You don't know?" Rainbow looks utterly confused by that. "Wasn't there anything you wanted in life?"

"I was in school, training to get a good job, but I don't think I had any particular desire for the end of that road. All I knew is that that's what I needed to do to survive in that world, because that's what everyone else told me." I find it increasingly harder to focus on what little laundry remained as I talked. My every thought is screaming at me not to confide any more in this ridiculous multi-colored pony, but now that I've gotten started, I need to finish. To find closure. It's becoming clear that I can't go any further without an answer. "I knew what I didn't want; to be a minimum wage employee like the vast majority of those who never got an education. But that doesn't really counts as a dream, like what you have."

Rainbow didn't seem to like that answer. "Who cares about work? There has to be something that you did that you really enjoyed for the sake of enjoying it. Like how I really like to fly and sleep."

I almost mention Amaryllis, but I catch myself. There's no way in hell I would tell any of these ponies about something so deeply personal. Besides, I don't think Amaryllis counts as a dream. As I start thinking about the sorts of things she and I did together, I recall something so obvious that I almost smack myself for not thinking about it sooner.

I always wore a set of headphones when I walked between classes so I could listen to my favorite classic rock tunes. Amaryllis eventually learned what type of music I enjoyed, and she started to take me to different bars to dance, and a few times, she even took me to live performances of bands I particularly loved.

I've always loved music. Even after all that witch put me through when I was younger, my love for music never faded. I've dabbled in all sorts of instruments over the years such as guitar, piano, and cello; At my college dorm, I owned an electric keyboard and a simple acoustic guitar, and I'd play them from time to time, one day hoping to play them for Amaryllis.

"Music," I answer simply, having come to that realization. "That was my hobby. It was never anything special though, just a part of the background."

"Of course it was something special! Ah, this makes so much sense!" Rainbow slaps a hoof to her forehead. "The first time I see you talking to somepony without snapping at them, it was about music. And you're working for Vinyl Scratch, who'd only ever let someone else who liked music as much as she did work with her. How did I not see this sooner?"

I shrug, not sure how to respond to that, despite the fact that she's right. I don't see how this is meant to help me.

"There you go! You could be a DJ like Vinyl, or a pop singer like that Sapphire Shores that Rarity sometimes talks about, or maybe even a member in the Canterlot Royal Orchestra! Or better yet, a rock star! That would be pretty sweet; I could totally see you rocking the metal look," Rainbow just isn't slowing down.

It's strange how she'd show such enthusiasm about something that isn't even about her. Yet, what she's saying sounds appealing. The idea of standing on stage is a daunting one, but if I could be like those front men that drove the crowds wild and sold out stadiums as large as whole towns… a small shiver runs through me at the thought.

Yet my realism kicks in almost immediately. There's no way someone like me, who struggles in even the smallest crowd, could ever do something like that. Additionally, I was once told that musicians no longer made much money on album sales due to the onset of the internet… which ponies don't have... huh. So maybe a career in music wouldn't be so impossible after all. It sounds infinitely more enjoyable than that desk job I would have had back in my time. But… can I really do it? Start over without Amaryllis?

"I don't know…" At this point in time, the laundry and work left is basically forgotten. I sit down, different thoughts and visions of the future rolling around in my head. "It can't really be that simple."

"But it is! Put your sights on the goal, and don't let up! That's how I won the Young Flier's Competition, difficulties aside." Rainbow lets off a bit of an awkward chuckle. She then lights up, as though she has just come up with an excellent idea. "I just thought of something. Be right back!"

I watch curiously as Rainbow zips off of the cloud at speeds I can scarcely follow with my eyes. It's one thing to see from a distance, but up close, her speed is unreal. She really is unfathomably fast.

No sooner had that thought entered my head than Rainbow was already back, holding an acoustic guitar. "Here, try this!" Rainbow presents the guitar to me, looking rather pleased with herself. Despite how fast she'd just gone from here to the farm and back, she doesn't look like she's even broken a sweat.

"Where did you even get this?" I take the guitar from her, treating it as though it were made of gold. It resembles the dreadnought base model, with six strings spanning the neck. It feels surreal to be holding one again.

"Oh, I borrowed it from Applejack. It was just hanging on the wall anyway—not like she uses it much," Rainbow looks at me eagerly. "Go on, play it! Applejack won't mind if you give it a whirl."

I adjust my position until I'm kneeling, the guitar resting on my raised knee. My left hand runs up the neck, instinctively forming the chord shapes that I've memorized. With my right hand I form a makeshift pick by placing my thumb over my index finger, and using the latter to strum each individual string.

"Hm…standard E tuning," I observe before running through a quick scale, finding the sound it produces to be pleasant, almost nostalgic. I repeat this action a few times in different locations on the guitar. Once I finish with scales, I run through the chords I remember. Recalling a particular song that uses these chords, I run through the first verse, humming the tune under my breath.

"You're not bad! See, you could totally do it if you tried!" Rainbow stamps her hooves on the ground, looking pleased with what she heard. "So what do you say? Wanna shoot for being a rock star?"

I lay the guitar across my lap, making sure not to let it touch the ground. The chance to hold an instrument again, I can't deny that it felt good. Even more so when I could hear those melodic chords again.

I think about what Rainbow is trying to tell me. Just like how she wants to be a Wonderbolt, she's saying I should strive for something musical, to give me a reason to wake up in the morning. There's some sense to that; instead of my money going towards traveling up north, I could save up to buy instruments and other musical equipment. Then, performing wouldn't be out of the question. I start to feel a little excited at the thought.

"Okay." I stand up, handing the guitar back to Rainbow. "There may be something to what you're saying. I dunno about being a 'rock star', but I wouldn't mind being able to play again."

"Awesome! You should totally tell Vinyl, too! She'd totally support you on that. As would I. Cuz what's the fun of having a goal without friends to support you on the way?" Rainbow accepts the guitar, giving it a few strums herself, somehow managing to make a chord despite having cumbersome hooves. Despite watching her do it, I can't figure out how she can hold strings down with hooves. "So now, you can…"

"Are y'all still doin' laundry?" Applejack suddenly passes by us, a cartful of apples rolling along behind her. When she notices the guitar, she stops and just stares at Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, what are you doin' with my guitar?"

"What, this?" Rainbow promptly shoves the guitar back into my hands with a sheepish grin plastered on her muzzle. "Nothing. I don't see a guitar."

"Don't just give it back to me, idiot!" I immediately give the guitar back to her, not wanting to be implicated in Rainbow's scheme. I was under the impression that Applejack wouldn't mind, but her accusatory tone tells me otherwise.

"Don't call me an idiot, dummy!" Rainbow attempts to give the guitar back to me, only for Applejack to snatch it out of her hooves and place it on her back, eyeing the both of us suspiciously. Rainbow quails slightly under the look her friend is giving her. "Um...hi AJ."

"Just what in tarnation is going on between you two? First y'all are sayin' how much y'all can't stand each other, then you're dancin' together, then y'all're shoving each other down hills, and now you're all friendly?" Applejack demands, her curiosity getting the better of her at last. "What gives, Rainbow? What exactly happened between you two?"

"Uh...sorry, I can't say anything." Rainbow, much to my surprise, refuses to tell her, despite being put on the spot like that. Applejack blinks; whatever answer she was expecting, I doubt she expected not to receive one. "Ask Seth if you want to know. I doubt he'd like it if I spilled the beans. You know how it is."

"I guess I can understand that." Applejack then turns her gaze to me expectantly. "Seth?"

"I choose not to answer," I say as my lips flatten into a thin line.

"Figured as much," Applejack sighs and gets the cart moving again. "I guess it ain't my business. Rainbow, quit distractin' Seth and let him work."

"Sorry," Rainbow leaps back up to her cloud, scratching the back of her neck again.

"By the way, next time you wanna use my guitar, just ask first. I don't mind." Applejack trips her hat, gives us a grin, and makes her way back to the farmhouse to store her apples, leaving me to finish up the laundry that I'd been slacking on. "I'll see y'all in a few hours!"

"That was awkward." I turn back to the laundry, finding myself relieved that Applejack wasn't angry. "I blame you for that. You told me she'd be fine with it."

"She was fine with it! She just… said to ask first next time," Rainbow retorts stubbornly. "At least you got to play some! That's what matters, right?"

"I guess." I finish folding the last piece of laundry, and lift the basket, grunting under its weight. I curse and stumble a bit, my knees nearly giving out. I quickly set it back down; I shouldn't overexert myself with my body in this state. I resolve to tell Applejack that I'm finished when I see her next. "By the way… I'm glad you didn't tell any of them anything."

"That's just not something you tell other ponies," Rainbow confesses, looking distinctly uncomfortable. She then puts on a reassuring smile. "Besides, I said I had your back, and I meant it!"

"Whatever." I begin the walk back to the farmhouse, steeling myself for the hours of work to come. I think about her words, unsure how to deal with the respectable behavior she's been showing me. It's likely that she's doing all of this in order to ease her own conscience; to be able to tell herself that she did something.

There's no doubt in my mind that she'll eventually tire of the effort and revert back to the way she was before. That's just how people, and by extension ponies, are.

* * *

The rest of the work day passes uneventfully, and before long Rainbow and I are waiting in the farmhouse for Applejack to return with my pay for the day. I have no doubt that the amount will be small, having skipped most of the day.

"So, you're headed to Rarity's after this?" Rainbow hops onto the nearby couch lazily.

"I can't avoid it any longer." I glance at the couch longingly, but I'm not callous enough to lay my sweaty and dirt-caked body onto Applejack's furniture. "Do you still intend to follow me around?"

"Nah, if I go with you, Rarity'll try to put me in something too." Rainbow makes such a disgusted face at that prospect that it earns some mild amusement from me. She's as tomboyish as they come it seems, given her athleticism and her overall lack of concern for her appearance. "I dunno though...will you be alright without me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I give her a sharp look at that question.

"You know, it's just that…" Rainbow pauses before continuing, taking a moment to glance around to make sure there were no other ponies nearby. "I want to know you're not gonna try to...to...when I'm not looking…"

"I get it." I save her the trouble of having to complete that sentence that so clearly disturbs her. Her words essentially explain why she's been hanging around me all day, even after I started work. A hint of bitterness falls over me, sensing that reversion I mentioned coming. "I bet that would make you feel better, huh?"

"Of course it would! Why do you sound so irritated?" Rainbow seems offended by the question, lifting her head to gaze at me oddly.

 _Because the moment you know I won't got back to the cliff, you'll stop with the friendly act you're trying to pull,_ I think bitterly to myself. _Because_ _you're no different than anybody else. Because no matter what you say, you're only doing this to ease your own conscience. Because it's always about you, isn't it?_

"It doesn't really matter," I sigh, lacking the mental fortitude to argue with her further. Any further rebuttal by Rainbow Dash is cut short by Applejack's return, a small bag of bits held in her mouth. She passes it to me, which I add to the bits in my pocket. With this, I've a total of sixty bits; more than enough to pay for my rent with Vinyl, and leave me with some leftover cash.

"Thanks for your work, as always. Wanna stay for dinner?" Applejack once again offers. Each day I work with her, she's been giving me that same offer.

"No thanks." I give her the same answer as well, which as usual doesn't perturb her. "I need to get to Rarity's before she sends out a search party."

"Probably a good idea. Will I see you tomorrow?" Applejack walks beside me as I head for the door. Rainbow leaps off of the couch to follow us as well.

"If you're still alright having me around. Hopefully I'll be in better shape tomorrow." Before Applejack can give a decent answer, we walk right into the path of Apple Bloom and her two friends, on their way back from school. "Oh no…"

"Hey, it's Seth!" Apple Bloom runs up to us with a smile, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo just behind her. Scootaloo doesn't rush to me completely, the filly skidding to a halt the moment she sees Rainbow Dash. Sheer admiration shines bright in her eyes. "Wow, you're a mess; you musta been working hard!"

"Maybe he has a cutie mark in construction? Digging maybe?" Sweetie suggests, chiming in after Apple Bloom before I could even get a chance to answer.

" _It's Rainbow Dash…"_ Scootaloo appears to be in her own little world, her words spoken in a reverent whisper that I can barely hear.

"That's one way of putting it." I remark to Apple Bloom, finding it easier to use work as the explanation for my ragged state.

"Hold on, you three know Seth?" Rainbow interjects, looking surprised by both that and the fact that we seem to be exchanging a regular greeting.

"Yeah. They seem to like me, for whatever reason." I look towards Rainbow, glad to have a distraction. I just don't know how to handle children, ponies or not.

"He's really nice! He stood up for us a few days ago when we were getting picked on!" Sweetie Belle says.

"You should have heard what he said!" Apple Bloom adds.

"He was so cool!" Scootaloo finishes for them.

"Really now? That I didn't know," Applejack looks at me with a surprised and grateful expression. "Thanks so much for stickin' up for my sister. You're a decent sort, Seth."

"Oh, he stood up for you, huh?" Rainbow's expression grows smug again, and she gives me a pointed look that makes me rub my forehead, wishing I was anywhere other than here. "What a nice thing to do…"

"Wipe that smirk off your face," I pointedly tell her, earning a snicker from her. "But just to clarify to you three, I don't have a 'cutie mark' at all."

" _What?!"_ The three of them chorused all at once as if that one statement had overturned their entire view on life. When I repeat myself, Sweetie Belle falls over in a faint, while Apple Bloom looks dumbfounded.

"Girls, we should make him an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader! Sweetie Belle, could you make another cape?"

"I could ask Rarity to borrow some more of her fabric. Scootaloo, are there any activities we haven't tried yet that we could include him in?"

"I can think of a lot of things we could do with him! Do you think he'd be any good at riding a scooter?"

"Ooh, but what if we could take him to our favorite crusading spots!"

"We could show him our clubhouse!"

"Maybe we could get our cutie marks in helping humans?"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Human Helpers, yay!" The three of them cheer loudly, clapping their hooves together. Their excitement is just growing more and more, while Applejack and Rainbow are snickering at my steadily growing look of horror.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you to it. Have fun with the girls, Seth!" Rainbow decides that now is the best time to make her exit, devious intentions plastered all over her stained muzzle.

"No, don't you dare leave me alone here…" Despite my threatening, Rainbow zips away in a flash, cackling to herself as she abandons me to these terrifying fillies. "...with them. I hate you so much right now."

"You should come play with us tonight, Seth! You can join us in finding all of our cutie marks! There's all sorts of fun things we can try!" Apple Bloom addresses me directly at last. My brow shoots up into my hairline, shocked that they'd even ask me of all people. "Come on, what do you say? Want to be a crusader with us?"

I sigh heavily, aware of Applejack's expectant gaze on the back of my neck. I don't understand how to deal with children, especially those wanting me to 'crusade' with them, whatever that means.

"You would probably be better off finding someone else to play with. I'm hardly the most entertaining company," I break it to them gently, knowing that if I'm even the slightest bit rude, Applejack will get onto me—this is her little sister to whom I'm speaking. "Besides, I think I can't even get a cutie mark. Humans don't have magic like ponies do."

"You'll never know if you don't try!" Not even that is enough to dissuade the three fillies, Apple Bloom serving as their spokesman. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Again...I'm not the playing type. You'll find out you can't stand me after a few minutes."

"Please?" Apple Bloom retaliates by using the most vile, the most despicable, and the most effective form of persuasion known to mankind; she looks up at me with wide, liquid eyes, her lower lip ever so slightly poking out and trembling. I've never seen such an expression from anyone before; at least not one being directed at me. Coming from a small pony like her, the effect is tripled in intensity. What's even worse, is that both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo do the same thing.

"That's playing dirty…" I grumble, averting my gaze from the unbearably cute display. What am I supposed to do now? I'm just not interested in playing with a bunch of children. I also know that if I give in now, they'll forever think I'm receptive to the idea and I'll never have a moment's peace. Either way, I refuse to deal with this. "Perhaps another time. I'm busy this evening."

"Awww," the three fillies look down with disappointment, before Apple Bloom hits me with the rebound. "Maybe tomorrow then?"

"We'll see," is the best that I can give them. More than anything, I really hope that something comes up tomorrow evening so I have an excuse to decline their offer. It's too much to hope for that they would forget. I never thought that telling off Diamond Tiara would bring such unwelcome consequences. "Now, if you all will excuse me. I must get going now."

Seizing the earliest opportunity I can get my hands on, I retreat from the four of them perhaps a little more hasty than would be proper. I don't stop until I leave the farm behind, barely registering their assorted farewells. _I have absolutely no idea how to handle children_. I think as I sigh with relief.

For the first time since the cliff, I'm alone with my thoughts. I keep walking forward, trying to make sense of the emotions running through my mind. In the back of my mind I can still feel a sense of hopelessness towards my whole situation—the absence of Amaryllis hurts more than I can put into words. And my anger. My anger hasn't been tempered yet. I wish more than anything that I could still make Sombra pay, and I resent the princesses for depriving me of that chance.

But...I can feel something positive growing within me. I've learnt that I enjoy music as far more than a simple hobby, leaving me with a plethora of potential opportunities to explore. It's odd that I have to do so in a world filled with sapient ponies, but I guess it's not much different than humans, physical and magical differences aside.

I re-enter town, navigating the streets in an attempt to recall the way to Rarity's Boutique. In the process, I end up taking a wrong turn and end up in unfamiliar territory. I'm forced to cut back through the park where I first encountered Lyra. It's rather late by now, so there aren't many ponies around.

As I pass through the fountain clearing, I pass by a group of two ponies that are clinging rather tightly together. It isn't until I draw closer that I realize that they're kissing passionately, likely believing themselves to be by their lonesome.

It doesn't take me long to notice that they're both mares. I do a double take, and then I keeping walking in veiled discomfort, not wanting to disturb them. I'm not oblivious to the concept of public displays of affection. If I went far enough out of my way back at college, I could find a couple or two hiding within the shadow of the parking garages or the classroom buildings. What shocks me is that the two of them are the same gender. I can't say I've ever seen anything of the like, even in my era where various movements for and against such things were gaining traction. It's one thing to hear about it...

Another pony walks through the fountain clearing behind me, the mare giving a slight chuckle upon seeing the two ponies, but otherwise doesn't bat an eye. Judging from that alone, such relationships must be somewhat common and accepted by the average pony. I suppose it makes sense considering the disproportionate amount of mares to stallions in town, but nevertheless it's a rather hefty pill to swallow.

As much as I don't care for displays of affection or relationships, it's probably best I learn that from observation. This way, should I encounter a same-sex relationship among the ponies I live among on a daily basis, I won't accidentally offend them. I momentarily entertain the thought of asking Rarity, but that idea is quickly shot down. Such curiosity will pass. It's none of my business, anyway.

A few minutes after that disconcerting revelation, I find my way to the Boutique. I barely knock on the door when Rarity opens it, a wide smile spreading across her muzzle.

"There you are! I was wondering if I would have to come visit you on the farm," Rarity steps aside to allow me entrance, the mare ushering me inside with emphatic hoof gestures. "Do come in! I have a veritable sea of clothing for you to try on!"

"A 'sea'?" I repeat wryly, wondering just how much clothing that entailed. The first thing I notice are the three sets of mannequins lined up in front of a circular stage. They're human shaped and are about as tall as me, leading me to reason she'd created them based off of my measurements. All of them were clad in the sort of clothing that I'd expect to see in a legitimate human fashion establishment. To say that I'm impressed would be an understatement. "Just how many outfits did you make?"

"Ten, I believe. Three sets of work clothes sturdy enough to handle the rigors of physical labor, three sets of casual clothing for everyday use, three sets of winter clothing, and one set of swimming trunks. The coats are interchangeable, of course." Rarity used her magic to pull back the curtains covering one of the alcoves, revealing a rack filled with the remaining seven outfits. "Would you care to use my shower before we begin?"

"Part of me suspects that you wouldn't let me anywhere near your clothes unless I agree," I comment, knowing full well how disgusting I look.

"You would be correct. Up those stairs, if you please! You smell like a diamond dog, darling. I'll bring to you one set of casual clothes for you to change into once you're finished." Rarity practically shoos me up the stairs as though I were a child. "Chop chop, now!"

"I'm going!" I speed up a bit to get ahead of her, a little irritated. I don't believe I've been to the second level of her home before, so I don't know which of these rooms is her bathroom.

In the end, I simply try every door. One of the rooms looks to be a child's room; most likely Sweetie Belle's. Another looks extravagant, complete with a sizable four poster bed, several shelves containing various rolls of fabric, and a desk upon which a sewing machine was situated. I have no doubt that I'm looking at Rarity's room.

I find the bathroom just before the second staircase that leads to the third level of the boutique. I've only ever seen Vinyl's bathroom, so I'm not the least bit prepared for the luxury that awaits me within. Once I step inside, I let out a sharp exhale.

The bathroom has plenty of room to walk around it, complete with a double vanity at the base of a mirror that spans the whole wall, a bathtub deep enough to comfortably fit my whole body, and a shower twice the size of Vinyl's that is completely enclosed by gorgeous mottled glass. It hardly needs to be said, but the whole room is immaculately clean and well cared for.

I strip out of my ragged clothes and set them and my rifle aside, then I step into the shower. To my surprise, there's even a place to sit down inside, and the showerhead is large enough to cover my whole body. The overwhelming luxury I'm experiencing is start to make me giddy.

A few minutes in the shower is enough to wash away all the dirt, grime, and sweat that had accumulated on my body over the past few days. Unfortunately, there's little I can do about my hair. Although I can scrub it to get some of the filth out of it, I'm much too anxious to try using any chemicals on it.

During my shower, I hear the door open. I feel the urge to cover myself, but I calm down, realizing that the mottled glass does an excellent job of obscuring me from the outside.

"Do you mind if I take your old clothes from you?" Rarity's voice sounds from inside. She doesn't seem to care about the fact that I'm still in the shower, and very much naked. She can't see me, but I'd think there'd be some kind of social rule about walking into a bathroom while someone is showering.

"What do you plan to do with them?"

"Why, dispose of them, darling! They're in tatters—to wear garments in such poor shape would be a crime against fashion!" Rarity says as if it should have been obvious. "Surely you're not that attached to them."

"I'm not, but make sure to go through the pockets. There are a few things in there I'd rather not lose," I direct her carefully. I hear the sound of her rifling through my jeans a moment later.

"I have found a folded piece of...is this…!?" Rarity sounds appalled for a moment, and I recall with a start that my wallet is made out of leather. I didn't think about that. Now she's probably going to- "Oh, my mistake. For a moment I thought this was Griffon-made leather. And, what is this? This is a rather odd device."

"That's my phone. It's human technology that would take too long to explain. It's useless now, anyway. Just set it aside." I respond, trying to absorb the fact that she just referred to griffons as though they were a real creature. Ponies. Minotaurs. Dragons. And now griffons? There's just no end to this nonsense.

"Very well. That seems to be everything. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to toss these into the nearest fire." Rarity gives a malicious-sounding giggle and I hear the clopping of her hooves along the tiling recede. "I've left your new clothes on the vanity."

"Thank you." I hear the door close, so I shut off the shower and dry off with a fluffy purple towel that had been hanging on a rack built into the door. Once I'm dry, I move over to the vanity to get a closer look at myself. I note that some minor peach fuzz is forming on my face. I scowl with disgust. I've always had a hard time growing facial hair, so this is the most that I can get. That being said, I find it ugly, and I've never hesitated to shave it all away. Unfortunately, I don't see any razors in here. I'll have to ask Rarity.

I spend several minutes tending to my hair with less than satisfactory results. I haven't used shampoo, so there's plenty of grease and buildup in it, and I can't even get a brush through without running into innumerable amounts of knots. I sigh heavily, feeling more than a little depressed at the state my once beautiful hair is now in. Eventually I determine that there's little to be done, so I stop trying and resolve to get it cut later, despite how greatly unappealing the idea is to me.

Next, I turn my attention to the clothes Rarity left for me. First is a pair of skinny blue jeans much like my old ones, except the material they're made out is surprisingly soft despite being made of denim. On top of them is a set of boxers colored black with a plaid green pattern. They're incredibly soft, feeling almost as though they were made from satin.

I slip them on, finding them to be extremely comfortable, as though I were wearing a cloud. Yet there is a single flaw with them; there isn't much room in the front, causing it to be somewhat tight around my crotch. I suppose I can't blame her for that. Ponies are constructed differently than humans in that regard.

The jeans come next, and I find them to fit my legs snugly and comfortably. Following that is a raglan patterned long-sleeved shirt, colored white with black sleeves. It's been a while since I've worn a shirt, so the sensation causes me to shiver after slipping it on. Lastly, I slide on a sage green denim jacket complete with two pockets on either size.

Glancing in the mirror, I turn my body, finding everything to both fit me well and look good. For the first time since arriving in Equestria, I feel warm and comfortable. I'd almost feel like normal, if it weren't for my hair. Rarity really went all out for this. For clothes of this quality, I feel like I should be paying her everything I have, especially if she made ten full sets.

I make sure to grab my wallet, phone, keys and rifle, and then I return to the first floor, where Rarity is waiting expectantly. She beams upon seeing me.

"There you are. Well? How do they feel? Do they fit right?" Rarity looks so excited to hear my answer that I fear she might burst. "Don't be shy now."

"Rarity… they're excellent. I have no other words to describe them." I decide that being honest is the best reward I can give her. Setting aside my thoughts about her personally, I can't deny that she possesses real talent. "How did you manage to recreate my jeans to such intricate detail?"

"I'm so glad you like them! I was worried that you might not. Ponies don't usually wear pants in this style, so it took me multiple attempts to get the details just right." Rarity lets out a sigh of relief.

"You're telling me you created these from memory?" I indicate the jeans.

"I can't say I did so _completely_ from memory; I did have some pony clothes made from denim that I could reference." Rarity admits, though it doesn't make her work seem any less incredible.

"That's impressive. They're everything I could have asked for. You're certain I can't pay you for this?" I'm already starting to fish out the bag containing my bits, but the moment I pull it out, Rarity shoves it right back in my pocket with her magic.

"Uh-uh-uh! We made a deal, did we not?" Rarity puts on a smirk for a brief moment, but then her expression becomes somewhat sheepish. "I will admit I got the teensiest bit ahead of myself and pushed off my other orders. If you would like more clothing, I would need to ask for some compensation, as much as I would rather not charge you."

"That's only fair." I agree. I'd very much rather not be indebted to this mare.

"Now, if you'll do me a favor and try on the rest of these outfits so I can see how you look in them…" Rarity starts to suggest, but then she trails off, regarding me with dissatisfaction. "Hmm…but maybe..."

"What?" I ask, noticing with some confusion that she's gazing intently at the mess that is my hair. I take a step back, feeling a little worried.

"I've decided! I'd like to do something with that mane of yours, if you wouldn't mind indulging me," Rarity proclaims. "It's been bothering me every since you came downstairs."

"Absolutely not. No one touches my hair except me," I say instantly without even having to think about it.

"Come now, darling, it's your most defining feature! Yet it's only been getting worse and worse each time I see you, and it's simply a tragedy. It would be a crying shame to let it deteriorate!" Rarity insists. "With a little bit of work, I promise you I could make your wonderful mane shine!"

"Did you not hear me? I said no. It's already in pretty poor shape, and I don't trust you, nor anyone else, not to ruin it any further," I snap. Her questions aside, I'm surprised she picked up on the fact that I value my hair so highly.

"Ruin it!? Pffff," Rarity scoffs as if physically disgusted by the very idea. She then run s a hoof delicately through her meticulously groomed mane. "You don't think I keep my own mane styled so fabulously merely through luck, do you?"

"Pardon me if I don't pay attention to pony aesthetics." My sarcasm earns a huff from her. "Besides. It's hardly the same thing. Pony hair products are designed for ponies, not for humans. What if using your shampoo irreparably damaged my hair?"

"I hardly think it could look any worse than it already does, to be entirely honest," Rarity's blunt words feel like a smack in the face, making me mourn the loss of my once proud hair even more. I self-consciously twirl my fingers in my hair, already feeling the grease building up on them. "Furthermore, I don't believe there's a real difference like you say. Your mane is made from keratin, is it not?"

Rarity levitates a stool in front of her and hops atop of it. "Let me see. hold still if you will." She extends her hoof and starts feeling up my hair, grimacing at the grease that ends up on her hoof. That makes me uncomfortable, so I push her away after a few seconds. "My apologies. As I expected, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. It feels the same as any other mane, grease and filth aside."

She actually brings up a fair point; one that I feel stupid for not thinking of earlier. By trying to protect my hair, it's only grown progressively worse. In the end, keratin is still keratin. Yet the idea of trusting her with my hair is still not an appealing one.

"I don't like it. I've only ever let one person other than myself cut my hair, and that's only because he was doing it since I was born," I grumble, but any further arguing on my part would just make me look stubborn. "But I guess you're right. It can't really get any worse than it already is," I begrudgingly concede. "How are you going to do it, and how much will it cost me?"

"Come along with me and I'll show you!" Rarity's face lit up. She practically bounced across the room to the door behind the stage and to the right, gesturing for me to follow her. "Don't worry about payment this time. If you think about it, I'm simply being selfish because I don't want you leaving grease stains on your brand new clothes."

"That's probably the only technicality from you that I'm willing to accept." I follow her despite my mind screaming at me not to accept any more services from her.

I pass through a doorway into a room that I can only describe as a hair salon, complete with vanities lining the walls and large hair dryers. Yet it's clear that all of these tools are designed for ponies due to their shape. For example, the vanities lack the hole in the front where the neck should go, because ponies are constructed differently and can just lower their heads in directly.

"Hm...one moment. I'm sure I can put together something to make this easier on the both of us." Rarity starts by pulling over one of the chairs in the room towards one of the vanities, where she cranks it back until the top of the chair is level with the edge of the sink. "It's not ideal, but I can work with this."

"What exactly are you going to do?" I eye the whole setup warily, second thoughts circling through my mind.

"I'm glad you asked! First things first: I intend to give your mane a thorough washing. There's a great deal of grease and buildup, and it's all tangled from neglect. I have just the shampoo that will help clear all of that away!" Rarity produces a bottle and shows it to me, a pony with a sparkling mane emblazoned on the label, along with a great deal of Equestrian scrawl that I can't decipher. "Then, once everything is nice, clean, and smooth, I'll work some conditioner in to give it back some shine! I promise you'll be most satisfied with the result, if you just trust me for a little longer."

Rarity pauses and looks at me with a tentative expression, as though she's waiting for my permission. I recall that I once told her that I didn't trust her before. That much hasn't changed, and it seems like she's picked up on that.

"Like you said, it can't get any worse than it already is." I shrug and avert my eyes, gazing at the mirror instead. I sit down in the chair, guessing that it'll be the nearby vanity in which she washes my hair. "I guess do what you're going to do."

"Thank you; I appreciate you giving me the opportunity! Now lay your head back, if you would." Rarity turns the faucet in the sink, the sound of running water filling my ears. I do as I'm directed, though I find it very difficult to relax. "Your mane is very long for a stallion; just think of the different styles I could implement! I could braid it in the back, or work it into a ponytail—pardon the pun."

"I just want it straight and smooth, like it normally is. Don't try anything else." I cringe at the thought of having my hair anything other than my standard. I had enough people telling me I look like a girl without going out of my way to make it easier for them.

"Aww, but you could do so much more with it!" Rarity whines, the mare looking put out by my words. When I don't respond, she heaves a sigh. "Alright, I suppose it is ultimately your decision. Lie still, if you please."

I shudder as a jet of lukewarm water strikes the back of my head, soaking my matted hair and cascading down my scalp. After the initial shock, it begins to feel relaxing. The next sensation I feel is extremely odd; what I presume to be a hoof presses against my head as Rarity starts to work some of her shampoo deep down into the roots of my hair. Her hooves don't feel nearly as tough as I expected; instead, her hooves feel firm, yet ultimately soft.

The strangest thing is that I can feel portions of her hooves moving around as she massages my scalp. I almost ask her about it; horses in my time could never exhibit such finesse with their hooves. I wonder if this is the secret behind how ponies hold objects without having hands or magic.

"There we go...look at all that grease just wash away! And look at all that loose hair! This was a long time coming, darling." Rarity sounds particularly pleased with herself as she works. I notice her eyes falling over my face, and she clicks her tongue lightly. "Do you mind if I make an observation?"

"As long as it doesn't get too personal," is my blunt response. Typically when someone asks for permission to say something, it has the potential to be something I don't want to hear.

"I merely wanted to comment on your physical appearance. To tell the truth, you're rather easy on the eyes," Rarity says with a smile. I blink, wondering with a sinking feeling in my gut if I heard her correctly. "A lot of ponies appreciate the fair of face, including myself. No doubt you'll turn quite a few heads once my work here is done."

"Back up a bit. What!?" I have to stop her; her thoughts have gotten too absurd to entertain any longer. "I think I need to have my ears checked. Because it sounds a lot like you just called me attractive, and I _know_ that can't be right."

"I'm merely stating my honest opinion. Why do you sound so put off?" Rarity questions as her hooves leave my head just long enough for the jet of water to run through my hair again.

"Because you're ponies. You should not under any circumstance find someone of another species attractive, especially one so wildly different from you. That's just twisted and unnatural." I decide to lay out my feelings as clearly as possible, in order to avoid another situation like with Lyra. Unlike Lyra, I can't just cut Rarity out of my life as easily.

"Now, I think you're reading much too far into this. As a fashionista, I work with beauty, and I've come to appreciate it where I can find it." Rarity taps my head lightly, causing me to turn my head long enough for her to wash that side easier. It almost sounds like she's scolding me. "As you may have heard, there are more than just ponies in this world; I've had the personal pleasure of meeting several of these species. Griffons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, even dragons, each is beautiful in their own way, unique to that species. Do you mean to tell me I can't find a dragoness with sparkling violet scales beautiful?"

"I suppose not, if that's all there is to it." I wince as Rarity runs a comb through my wet hair, finding each and every knot in the strands and smoothing them out.

"You're the first I've seen of your species; the closest species I can equate you with is the minotaurs. In comparison, you are far the fairer one." Rarity continues. "Based on your vehement reaction, you seem worried that my interest may lay beyond that of a simple compliment. Rest assured it does not."

"Thank God. I've already had one pony show that kind of interest, and I'm not speaking to her anymore. I was beyond disgusted." I've never felt more relieved to hear her explanation. I couldn't afford another Lyra.

"Why is that? One would think you would be flattered," Rarity appears legitimately confused by my reaction.

"Do I seriously have to explain this? I repeat: you're ponies. You should be attracted to other ponies." Disbelief colors my tone. "Aren't there laws or something against this kind of thing?"

"Of course not! Perish the very thought; what kind of fiend would ever place a restriction on love!?" Rarity's reaction is just as vehement as mine, shocking me. She starts to work conditioner into my hair as we continue our conversation. "Unless...this is yet another difference in culture between ponies and humans."

"That's one hell of a difference," I mutter. "So you're trying to tell me that any relationship is acceptable, regardless of species or sex?"

"Precisely! I am of the mind that love is beautiful, wherever one may find it," Rarity answers. I scoff under my breath at her wording. I believe the word she's looking for is lust—love is but a prettier way to refer to the same thing. Contrary to what she just said, there is absolutely nothing beautiful about lust… but I won't get into that with her. "I'm glad I was able to tell you about this; when we're finished here, I doubt that pony you mentioned will be the only one to show interest. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to broaden your horizons?"

"Hell no. Never," is my immediate response, earning a disapproving glance from her. "Just great. That's exactly what I needed. Can we change the topic please?"

"Very well. I shall mind my own business, if that is what you desire. Do with my compliment as you may." Rarity's words are short and clipped, suggesting that she's not very pleased with my reaction. I ignore her tone, feeling more than a little disconcerted by that conversation.

I've learned that according to pony society, Lyra isn't screwed in the head for flirting with me, a member of another species. As disturbing as that is to me, I reassure myself by reasoning that it's unlikely I'll have any further troubles. Lyra is the only individual in my entire life to show any kind of attraction towards me, so the odds of that happening again ever are slim to none.

Rarity turns off the water and dries my hair partly with a towel. Then she uses a hairdryer over the course of the next few minutes to gradually remove the remainder of the moisture, while running a comb gently through my hair to remove any remaining knots. When she's finished, she sets the comb aside and winches the chair back up.

"Finished! Take a look! I think you'll be very pleased," Rarity announces, the pride evident in her voice. I sit up slowly, and before I even look at the mirror, I can already tell that my hair is back to normal, just from the way it settles on my neck. Rather than feeling like greasy string, it feels once again like smooth silk, as it should. Additionally, my scalp feels pleasantly cool and free of irritation.

I turn to look at the mirror to see a man I don't feel disgusted to look at anymore. My hair is back to its former glory, my locks shimmering and resting around my neck neatly, the ends perfectly aligned. Seeing this in conjunction with my new clothes does wonders for my state of mind; I feel like myself again.

I'm very pleased. I reach into my bag and withdraw five bits, extending them out to Rarity. She glances at them in confusion.

"You don't need to pay me, dear. I'd thought we'd discussed this," Rarity reminds me, making no move to take the bits from me.

"We did. Consider this a tip for exceptional service." Despite the fact that Rarity claims she's getting as much out of this as I am, I feel that she's going to an incredible amount of effort for me, and that makes me uneasy.

"Oh! Well, I do appreciate it, but isn't five bits a little much for a tip?" Rarity points out.

"Isn't giving me ten free outfits and a hair cleaning a little much for artistic enjoyment?" I counter instantly. "Despite your valid reasoning, fabric isn't cheap, and neither are hair products. You've set yourself back significantly for my sake."

"Well yes, but...it's really nothing. I'm simply happy I could help." Despite her misgivings, Rarity does take the five bits from me, setting them on the counter. "Thank you for the tip! Now, shall we return to the main room? I have nine more outfits for you to try!"

I nod, and together the two of us make our way back to the main room. I glance into the mirror again as I pass, running a hand through my hair and sighing with satisfaction.

It's been a very long and arduous day, and my life has the potential to be very different from here on out. I'm not sure if Rainbow is right and that pursuing a future in music will help me past the despair I still feel deep in my subconscious and give me a reason to keep going, but I do know that facing the future with a set of warm clothes and a well groomed hairstyle is a good first step in the right direction.

I only have to go through nine pairs of clothing before I can go home tonight.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Welp, this one took me a while. I'd like to first talk about the original challenge in this chapter; to get around the fact that I had comments saying that nothing changed for him and he'd have no reason not to just find a way to ditch Rainbow and leap off the cliff again. So the goal was to give him a reason; not a 180, but a reason to think. Hence, I decided to capitalize on his love of music (which additionally makes it so people won't say stuff like "I didn't know he liked music..." in Arc 3)

I also decided to shift most of the Rarity scenes into this one chapter, while cutting the scene with Fluttershy and Lyra (though I intend to bring those back next).

Lastly, I now have more art for this story, but unfortunately, this site won't let me post it. You'll be able to find it if you head to fimfiction and check the first chapter. It's of Amaryllis.

Unfortunately, I had to bid farewell to Insidiaphilia as an editor due to RL issues. However, I hope you'll join me in welcoming Vayne Hellslinger to the crew. He and Brave-Hooves were a big help on this chapter!

Please please, as always, please leave me some comments telling me what you think! And if you want to speak with me more personally, please come join my discord channel! Send me a request at darkterraform 4122


	14. The Long Road to Recovery

"I usually try to integrate colors that accentuate one's coat, eyes, and mane" Rarity says as she passes me the soft white jacket belonging to the outfit that I'm currently wearing. I graciously accept it and slip my arm through the sleeves, enjoying the way the fluffy insulation feels against my skin. "Though I must say, it's been an exciting challenge to tailor my color palette to work with black mane. Such a color is rare among Equestrian ponies, if not nonexistent."

"So I've noticed. I'm still trying to wrap my head around your over-the-top color schemes." I zip up the jacket and move my arms around to test how comfortable the material is, though at this point I doubt I'll find much to complain about. After trying on nine of her outfits, it's become clear that she's exceptionally talented in the art of the needle. "This one's good too. At this point I don't even know why I'm still trying them on; it's obvious you got my measurements down right."

"Why, it's so I can see them on you, of course! I must know if my color predictions are just right!" Rarity insists, floating the last of the outfits towards me. A light pair of black slacks with a similarly colored light jacket perfect for casual wear when I'm at the house for the day. Rarity has stated more than once this sitting that she isn't a fan of darker clothing so to counterbalance it, the outfit is accented with various silvers, whites, and greens where she could get away with it. "Now, try this last one on. I do hate to rush you, but Sweetie Belle will be here soon and I need to prepare something to eat."

"Alright." My thoughts turn to the rest of the evening. I'm not quite sure what I should be doing now. I've always been busy up until the moment it grew dark outside, but now I have nothing on my plate. I scoff quietly to myself, lamenting how reliant on books and technology I was to entertain myself back in my era. Now that I can't read the local language and technology is little more than a pipe dream, that leaves me with barely anything to do when I'm not working.

Just as I'm zipping the jacket on the last outfit, I hear a light knocking at the door. It's so quiet that I almost thought I imagined it. Yet Rarity's ears twitch, suggesting she heard it as well.

"I know that knock." With a knowing smile, she walks over to the front door and opens it telekinetically. "Good evening, Fluttershy! What brings you by so late in the evening?"

The two of them talk together about a spa appointment that they had that needed to be moved, but I don't pay much attention to it. Now fully dressed in Rarity's last outfit, I believe I'm just about done here. I need to get all of these clothes home to Vinyl's house, then figure out what to do with the rest of my evening.

However, the moment I walk out from around the changing screen, Fluttershy immediately trails off mid sentence, her eyes widening upon seeing me. I recall the way she ran away from me the previous evening, and the way she hid behind the others when I returned to town. It seems like her parents hit the nail on the head when it came to naming their child.

"Well, this is the last outfit. If you're satisfied, do you mind if I take them all back with me now?" I choose to disregard Fluttershy's presence. I've already interrupted their conversation and it's clear my presence makes her uncomfortable, so I might as well leave.

"Not at all! Will you need help getting them home? There are ten of them, after all," Rarity offers, the mare turning away from Fluttershy briefly. The instant no one is focusing at her, Fluttershy slowly creeps behind one of the curtains that hang over the alcoves.

"I'll manage fine on my own." That sounds like permission to me, so I retrieve the remainder of the outfits and carry them over my shoulder, my hand clasped tightly around the hooks of the hangers. "Thanks for the clothes, Rarity. I'll probably see you later."

"Just one moment, if you please. Have you met Fluttershy yet?" Rarity stops me before I can reach the door.

"Not officially, but I know she's friends with you all," I sigh, sensing a forced introduction in the works. I cannot fathom why Rarity would try to introduce us, considering Fluttershy is now almost entirely hidden behind the curtain.

"Now's the perfect time for an introduction, then! Fluttershy is one of my dearest friends, so…" Rarity turns to look at where Fluttershy used to be, only to met by nothing. "Oh, Fluttershy...you must forgive her, Seth. She's very shy around those she's unfamiliar with."

"I hadn't noticed," I dry respond. "But you needn't bother. It's obvious she doesn't want to talk to me, and I don't exactly blame her. So I'll just leave you two in peace."

"Seth, she doesn't mean it like that." Rarity attempts to persuade me, taking a step closer to me. "You must understand that you're not the most...approachable of individuals. She's just uncertain how you'll react."

"I'm sorry…" Fluttershy's quiet voice comes from behind the curtain.

"I'm not offended." I reassure them. Telling me I'm not approachable isn't that surprising; such has been the image I've presented for years. "But I know her name, and she knows mine. I know she's friends with you, so I'll make an effort to be civil for your sake in the occasion we have a reason to interact. Satisfied?"

"Not...quite, but I suppose that's the best I can expect from you," Rarity reluctantly concedes, giving me a disapproving stare. "If I may give my opinion, you don't always need a reason to interact with someone."

"Noted," I say, feeling a twinge of annoyance at her words. Part of me wants to point out how little I care for her patronizing, but I ultimately think better of it. Regardless of how I personally feel, she's done me a great service by clothing me for the winter and taking care of my hair. The least I can do is keep my mouth shut for now. Grabbing my rifle from where I left it, I head for the front door. "I'll be leaving now."

"Of course. Do visit whenever you like. My door is always open." Rarity watches me leave with a soft smile, despite the various disagreements we'd have over the course of my stay. I shake my head, finding it odd that she isn't sick of being near me by now.

Stepping outside isn't as hellish an experience as to what I'm used to, despite the rapidly chilling air. Rarity's clothing does a remarkable job at keeping my body warm. With the rest of her clothes slung over my shoulder, I make my way back through the town towards Vinyl's house.

On the way back, I end up taking a different path than usual in order to circumvent a small group of ponies that looked to be partaking in some sort of social event. In the process, I spot a small hole in the wall shop decorated with musical notes. That alone is enough to catch my attention, so I move forward to take a closer look. A quick glance in the window tells me that the shop is exactly what it looks like; a music store. I mentally mark its location, and then continue on my way.

* * *

"Glad to see you back! Sorry about earlier tod...whoa." Vinyl glances up from the couch to greet me once I walk through the front door, but she trails off when she gets a good look at me. "Seth, is that you?"

"Unless you know any other humans," I tiredly reply. "What's with the looks?"

"You look great, especially your mane! You're even decked out in brand new threads!" Vinyl complimented me, the mare leaping over the back of the couch and walking up to me. She sniffed the air and nodded, a smirk crossing her face. "Also it helps that you don't smell like a stallion's locker room anymore."

"Thanks a lot," I sarcastically say as I make my way over to the stairs. Despite this being the first instance of smack talk she's ever shown me, a response is quick on my lips due to several years of habit between Amaryllis and myself. "I see your living room still looks like a contamination zone."

"Pfff...fair enough," Vinyl admits with a grin, not offended in the least. "So what are you up to tonight?"

"I haven't a clue. Let me get all these clothes upstairs, and then I'll figure something out." I take a moment to rush upstairs with my burden of clothes and make my way towards the closet, which has just enough room to fit all of my outfits inside. Keeping my rifle with me as always, I walk back downstairs, completely bereft of anything else to do for the remainder of the evening.

"So yeah, as I was saying…" Vinyl says from the only free space on the couch, before proceeding to lift up a pile of wires, records, and other assorted paraphernalia from around her, freeing up a space beside her. She pats the spot with a hoof, leaving an unspoken invitation hanging in the air. "Sorry how we all ganged up on you at once this afternoon. I know you said you felt interrogated."

"It's whatever." I take the seat offered to me, though I make sure to leave plenty of space between the two of us. The moment I sit down, I realize just how exhausted both my mind and body have become. A yawn leaves my mouth, and the idea of an early bedtime seems greatly appealing. "I don't know why you all act like you care so much. It would have been easier for you all to just shrug and let me be."

"Dude, I thought something might have happened to you after you didn't come back last night. I was literally on my way to the guard when Twilight found me." Vinyl spoke as though her actions should have been self-explanatory. "Is it so weird that we'd be worried when you just up and left without a word?"

"Yes. Especially when I've been making and will continue to make your lives difficult." My answer comes to me as easily as breathing. Vinyl flinches, and then an exasperated sigh leaves her. She looks like she's going to argue, but pauses as she realizes something.

"'Continue?' Hold up, didn't you say you were leaving Ponyville after a week or so? You know, back at Pinkie's Party?" Vinyl recalls, leading me to remember that she hadn't been around when I mentioned that I wasn't leaving anymore. "You decide to stick around?"

"I don't have much of a choice. There's nowhere left for me to go," I shrug helplessly. There's no point in hiding it from her. Vinyl blinks, confused.

"What do you mean? You were pretty dead set on getting out of town." Vinyl further prompts me when it became clear I wasn't going to elaborate. She realized something and hastily lifted her hooves placatingly. "Don't get me wrong, I've got no issue with you sticking around."

"You probably figured it out, but I'm not in Equestria by choice. I was brought here...forcefully...through magic. That's why there aren't other humans around." My confession causes Vinyl's eyes to widen with surprise. I feel uncomfortable revealing as much as I am, but if she didn't learn it from me, Twilight would probably tell her eventually; that pony has already shown that she can't keep a secret to save her life. "I thought I had a way out...but I don't anymore. So even if I _did_ leave, where would I go?"

"Dang...that's heavy stuff. Explains a bit too," Vinyl lowers her hooves, the mare looking at me with shock. I avert my eyes, not wanting to see the look of sympathy that inevitably follows. "If it helps, you can stay here as long as you want."

At that offer, I look back at her, attempting to gauge whatever she might be thinking through her expression; something at which I've never been good. Yet, even as she shows me what I think is supposed to be a reassuring smile, I still can't fathom why she'd want me around for that long.

"As long as our arrangement remains in place," I finally say, feeling at a loss. More importantly, there's another topic I haven't tackled yet. "That reminds me; when am I paying you for this week?"

"Oh yeah, it has been a week, hasn't it? You can pay me tomorrow, and we'll make that the day," Vinyl lazily responds, adjusting readily to the change in subject. "Speaking of which, can I take your tomorrow evening?"

"For what, another gig?" I ask.

"Nah, I don't have another of those until Monday." Vinyl waved a hoof dismissively. "No, I figured we should visit the mayor and get the paperwork out of the way. We've been putting that off too long."

"Right...I suppose so. I should be free." I wince at the thought of dealing with the all-consuming monster that is bureaucracy, but I assure myself that it can't be worse than the sheer amount of hoops my old college used to make me jump through. As soon as that thought enters my head, another yawn escapes me, reminding me just how exhausted I am. "I think I'm going to retire early. It's been...a very long day."

"Alright. You relax here then. I should probably throw something together to eat." Vinyl gets off of the couch with an overdramatic groan and heads towards the kitchen, signalling the end of our conversation.

* * *

After a short meal, I retire to my room and undress, making sure to take good care of my new clothes. Then, I lay down on the bed, letting out a long sigh at the comfort. I haven't slept in well over twenty four hours, my eyelids feeling like they have lead weights strapped to them.

Ultimately, being alone in my room causes me to briefly reflect over the day's events. Particularly, the scene at the cliff keeps replaying in my head. It's unsettling how close to death I was, and even more so how much I wanted it. I was so ready to admit that living was too much for me to handle. More than that, though, Rainbow's words both at the cliff and at the farm wouldn't leave my head. I don't think I'll be able to forget them, ever.

I repeat them to myself mentally. I have nothing in this world; no friends, no family, no past, and no purpose. I have nothing to live for. Nothing. Yet Rainbow seems to think I should persist for the sake of those close to me who are no longer around...that I should live for myself.

I roll over, my thoughts keeping me awake despite my exhaustion. I honestly don't know if I can do this. The path forward according to Rainbow sounds simple; follow my passion for music and re-establish myself here, but it isn't easy. I don't know if I can do it. A future on my own without Amaryllis seems to hold only loneliness and an empty existence, coasting through life one day at a time.

Before I realize it, my cheeks are wet from tears, my eyes stinging. A surge of self-loathing comes over me at my own weakness. Half of me wishes I could just go back to the way I used to be before I met Amaryllis when I was perfectly content to be alone, and the other half recoils at the idea of having never met her.

My thoughts grow more and more indistinct, until I finally drift off to sleep, Rainbow's words still echoing in my mind.

* * *

A half-asleep Vinyl wakes me up the following morning, mumbling something about a time turner and an alarm clock. She manages to prepare breakfast—miraculously not tripping over her own hooves—allowing me to feed myself and get out the door in a reasonable amount of time.

I'm not much better off than her; I'm still exhausted. If I can get home from the mayor's office at a reasonable hour, I hope to once again get to sleep early. Considering my track record, however, I don't see that being likely.

"Mornin', Seth! I see you finally stopped by Rarity's place." Applejack greets me when I arrive at the farm, glancing over my warmer clothes with approval. I return her greeting with a firm nod...and then I notice with dread that Apple Bloom is here as well, showing no signs of getting ready to go to school.

"Hi, Mr. Seth! I'll be working with y'all today!" Apple Bloom greets me as well, looking more excited than she should be to work with me. I guess they have weekends off from school too. I mentally praise Vinyl for giving me an excuse to skip out on her and her friends this evening, assuming they accost me with requests to play with them again.

We don't spend much time on greetings before we get to work. With a long ten hours of work ahead of me, I proceed to shut off my mind and focus entirely on the work put in front of me. It's no longer as excruciating as it used to be, thanks to Rarity's clothing, but exertion is still exertion.

Applejack ramps up the difficulty of my chores as well. Once again, she takes me back to heavy lifting, but she sprinkles in less strenuous tasks here and there to give me a break so I don't tire myself out too quickly. Regardless of her consideration, my muscles burn constantly from the strain.

* * *

"S'up, Applejack." Vinyl unexpectedly comes to meet us at the farmhouse just as the end of the work day rolls around, the evening sun reflecting off of her shades. "How's it hanging over here?"

"I wasn't expecting you, Miss Scratch." Applejack politely responds, shocked by the presence of what is likely the closest thing to a celebrity the town has. "What can I do you for?"

"Well, you can call me Vinyl, for one." Vinyl wrinkles her nose at the polite way she'd just been addressed. "Other than that, nothing. I'm just here to pick up Seth so we can go and visit the mayor. You good to go, Seth?"

"More or less… you didn't need to come all the way out here," I pant, my back resting against the wall, my pay for the day resting firmly in my jacket pocket. I notice a rather disappointed Apple Bloom standing in the door frame on the other side of the room. "On second thought, I'm glad you did. Let's get out of here."

"Cool. I figured might as well; I needed to stretch my legs anyway. Saves you the walk back, too." Vinyl gestures towards the door with her head, and the two of us start to leave.

"Hold up a sec." Applejack follows us outside, looking specifically at me. "You can have tomorrow off if you want it. Is that alright? I know y'all got this whole rent thing going on."

"If it's about yesterday, don't worry about it. I'm fine." Though it confuses me that she'd bring this up now, when she's already seen me work yesterday and today.

"No, it ain't about that. We here on the farm work pretty hard, so we try to take at least one day off to relax. For the most part, that ends up being Sunday, though we sometimes flip it around if something else comes up." Applejack says. "Does that make sense?"

"Hmm." I mull it over; the idea of a day off from all this strenuous farm activity does sound appealing to me. I quickly run through some mental math, calculating how the drop in income from missing a day out of the week would affect my rent situation. "I suppose so. Alright, I won't come in tomorrow."

"Glad to hear it. You take it easy, Seth." Applejack tips her hat, and then she retreats back within the farmhouse, leaving me to walk back to town with Vinyl.

"Sweet, you get a day off! With all this manual labor you're always doing, you really look like you need it," Vinyl bumps up against my side with a grin. "You're alright with the pay cut, though?"

"Yeah, I don't particularly care. I'm not trying to get out of town anymore, and my living expenses are handled by our arrangement," I explain with a shrug. Honestly I could cut my hours down even further, but then what would I do with myself? I was already struggling to think of ways to fill my schedule as is. "Which brings me to the question: how long is this meeting going to take?"

"Shouldn't be too long. The mayor should have the contract drawn up already; we just have to sign it and we're good to go," Vinyl explains. That does sound reasonable, lessening my worries somewhat. "Just a little further. It's right in the town hall."

We make our way to the large circular building smack dab in the middle of the town square and walk through the front doors, the wooden floors creaking beneath my feet. Inside, Vinyl exchanges a few words with the receptionist pony, who directs us to the mayor's office.

The inside of the town hall is more or less a rustic version of a standard office building. I'm not too familiar with the way town halls work, but from what little I can see I note an area for record keeping, general storage, and offices for the various town officials where they handle the day to day affairs. In short, there's nothing interesting to look at.

"Come in!" A proper sounding female voice sounds out moments after Vinyl knocks on the door. The DJ opens the door to reveal a normal pony with a groomed beige coat and a grey mane sitting behind a desk. She wore a collar and a set of spectacles that balanced precariously atop her nose. Upon seeing us, she put on a smile and stood up from her desk. "Ah, Vinyl, I've been expecting you. And you…"

"I do apologize for not coming to greet you sooner. I admittedly had some trouble genuinely believing that there was in fact a bona fide human living in our town." The mayor walked around her desk and moved up to me, offering her hoof. "My name is Mayor Mare, and it is my pleasure to officially welcome you to Ponyville!"

"You can just call me Seth." I accept her hoof briefly, keeping my comments about her name to myself. "Thanks, I guess. I suppose I am living here now."

"That's right! It's about time to make that official, don't you think?" The mayor beamed and returned to her desk just long enough to produce the rent contract. "I'm glad you came to me before making your first rent payment. There's quite a lot of legal legislation to follow when it comes to this sort of thing, and it would have been a massive headache to deal with had you already paid."

"Legislation?" I ask curiously. "I'm just paying rent, aren't I?"

"Yes, of course. But this can be classified under tax income, so it's a problem if it were to go unreported. There's all sorts of hooves that could be stepped on in that unfortunate event, and several departments that the documents would have to pass through before the problem was properly resolved," Mayor Mare attempted to explain. I just blink; none of that makes any sense to me. I've never had to live on my own before, so learning how taxes and rent payments and such worked was never a priority. "But you don't need to worry about all of that. Just sign along this line here, and you'll be good to go!"

"Do I need to read the contract to you, Seth?" Vinyl asked, lifting up the contract telekinetically and bringing it up to her face. "It's more or less the same as what you signed back at the party...except the wording is a lot more complicated."

"So, a room, two meals a day, and access to utilities?" I repeat just to make sure I remembered the terms. When Vinyl confirms, I nod. "In that case you don't need to read it. Let's just sign it."

"Fair enough." Without wasting any more words, Vinyl brings up a quill to the parchment and scrawls her name in the typical Equestrian script and then passes it to me. I take the quill next, gripping the flimsy thing in my hand just long enough scribble down my own name. "Alright, and that's that. That should be everything, right?"

"That's right! That's all you needed to do," Mayor Mare then turned to me one last time. "Congratulations; with this document, you're officially a citizen of Ponyville! Once again, welcome!"

"Right…" For better or worse, this is yet another way of confirming just how stuck here I really am.

* * *

"There, that wasn't that bad, was it?" Vinyl ribs me once we've left the town hall, already tucking our copy of the contract into her bag. "In and out!"

"It was better than I expected, I'll admit." I take a glance up at the sky, noting that although it's getting dark, there's still some time left in the day. The question is: what should I do with it? "I expected a lot more paperwork."

"It's not like you're buying the house or anything. You think you've seen paperwork…" Vinyl visibly shudders at the thought. I don't bother to argue that. I've only ever rented a college dorm, and that had enough paperwork. I can't even imagine how buying a house would compare to that. "Alright, so home it is?"

"That sounds good." No sooner do those words leave my mouth than a better idea comes to me, now that I have some extra time to myself. "Actually, on second thought, you go on ahead. There's someplace I want to visit."

"Oh yeah? No problem. I'll just head home and throw something together for food." Vinyl seems curious, but to my relief, she doesn't prod any further. She gives me a wave when I break off from her down a separate street. "Catch you tonight!"

It's refreshing to have some time to myself out in the streets, especially now that I have someplace to go. It's not hard to find my way, either. The town isn't that large and I've have enough time to familiarize myself with its layout over the past week and make mental landmarks for reference points. As a consequence, I've started to recognize individual ponies that I pass by as well; another testament to the small community in which I now live.

For example, there's a group of three mares with various botany related cutie marks who tend to talk in obnoxiously loud voices and exaggerate their words and emotions. There's also that chocolate brown stallion with the hourglass on his flank that I once bumped into outside the library. It's hard to miss him or the cream colored mare with the rose cutie mark that often follows him around due to their tendency to gaze at me with barely hidden interest.

"Hi, Mr. Seth!" Sometimes, I even pass by Derpy, the wall-eyed mare I met back at the party. We don't often interact, but I typically return her greeting with a wordless wave just to be polite. Out of all the ponies I've interacted with, she's the only one that I've never had an argument with, so she at least warrants some small niceties.

The only encounter that I'd consider objectively unpleasant so far is with Bon Bon, that mare who is always with Lyra. She tends to glare at me when she thinks I'm not looking, no doubt bitter about the way I've been dealing with Lyra. I don't pay her much attention, however; dirty looks aren't anything new to me.

All in all, none of these encounters warrant much of a reaction from me, which suits me just fine. The only ponies I'd rather not run into are Lyra and…

"Oh hey! What's up?" Rainbow Dash. The mare towards which I harbor many conflicting emotions suddenly zips down from the sky to fall in step beside me. Naturally, the first thing she notices is my appearance. "Whoa, look at that! You actually don't look like Rarity's next headache anymore!"

"I'm ever so glad I have your approval." Good to know my sarcasm is still in full effect. "Though coming from a pony who doesn't understand how color contrast works, I'd say it doesn't mean much."

"Pfff, you're just jealous that _you_ can't look this good." Rainbow flips a hoof through her multicolored mane, looking extremely proud of her appearance. She grins, seeming to respond well to my sarcasm despite how rude others might find it. "Guess going to Rarity's worked out for you, huh?"

"More or less." I'm getting close to my destination, and I'd rather Rainbow not be around when I get there. "So do you have any particular reason for talking to me?"

"Reason? Not really. Just saw you walking and thought I'd drop by to say hi!" Rainbow replied with a shrug. I roll my eyes, having figured as much. "So...uh...how are you adjusting?"

"That's a difficult question. How one adjusts to the fact that they're living in a world filled with multi-coloured talking ponies is beyond me. I'm still not over that." Her suddenly awkward tone is enough to tell me that she's asking about my state of mind. I'd rather avoid the serious topic, so of course I need to be facetious. My attempts earn a huff from her. "Seriously though, you shouldn't bother to keep asking. You've already done enough, so your conscience should be clear."

"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?" Rainbow seems both confused and defensive. I sigh, realizing I've said too much. "Why wouldn't I ask? In case you forgot, we're friends now."

"So you keep saying." Rainbow doesn't seem to understand that friendship is a two way street, and I'm not feeling anything of the sort towards her. My feelings toward her can't readily be explained, though resentment, annoyance, confusion, and exasperation are descriptions that primarily come to mind. I sigh; all I would achieve if I bring any of that up is another argument. "Actually, you know what? Forget I said anything."

"Wait wha...you can't just leave me hanging!" Rainbow expresses, frustrated with my obstinance. When I don't respond, she groans. "You are just so stubborn!"

"Takes one to know one. You're still here, so you're just as stubborn as me, if not more so."

"That's not true! You're at least twenty...no, thirty percent more stubborn than me!" Rainbow retorts, causing me to look at her oddly.

"Did you just… you can't use percentages to refer to abstract concepts like stubbornness; that doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you don't make any sense!" Rainbow emphatically sticks her tongue out at me.

"Dear god, I'm talking to a child. What has my life come to?"

"At least I know how friendships work!"

"Seriously, we're back to that again?"

"Yes, we're back to that again!"

Our admittedly childish argument carried on for so long that I've reached my destination: the music store that I'd spotted yesterday. It's hard for me to remember why I came, however, as Rainbow glares at me with her face set in a stubborn pout. Moments later, her expression dissolves into mirth as she suddenly starts to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" I ask, confused.

"Snrk...nothing. You're kinda fun to mess with," Rainbow remarks in good humor. I blink at her, flabbergasted. Nothing about our conversation was all that funny… actually, now that I think about it, I guess it was a little silly. I hadn't intended on entertaining her though. "Oh hey, this is Noteworthy's shop, isn't it?"

"You know the place?" I allow the change in subject, grudgingly accepting that she is just going to be along for the ride this time.

"Yeah, I've heard about it. Never needed to go inside, though. My voice is my instrument!" Rainbow boasts proudly.

"You can sing?" That's odd enough for me to take an interest. With a scratchy speaking voice like hers, I can't imagine she'd be a good singer. Yet the thought of her having a musical talent is an interesting one.

"Hay yeah I do! I've got a great set of chords that any mare would be jealous of!" Rainbow proclaims. I give her a disbelieving look; with her constant boasting, you'd think she was good at everything. "Maybe you'll hear me at some point, if you're lucky."

"I'm sure." _When I decide I want my eardrums to spontaneously combust._ "Anyway, I'm going in here. Surely you have better things to do than follow me around."

"Nope!" Rainbow replies cheerfully, much to my dismay. "I'm done with work for today, so I think I'll keep you company a bit longer. Lucky you, right?"

"Yeah, lucky me." I sigh again and finally go into the shop, a small bell ringing as the door opens to announce my entry. The moment I walk inside, I feel like I've stepped into a small piece of heaven.

The first thing I notice is that the shop is small and holds a very limited stock. Yet from what I see, the stock it does have looks only marginally different than what I might see in my own era. There are electric keyboards, guitars both electric and acoustic, amplifiers, and other paraphernalia that wouldn't be out of place in a human Guitar Center. The only differences are the design of the individual instruments, the brand names (which I of course can't read), and that the equipment that would ordinarily be electric are equipped with crystalline orbs as opposed to power supplies.

"Ah, welcome to my shop, miss Dash!" A blue stallion makes his presence known from behind a small counter, where it looks as though he had been reclining in a bean bag. He leaps to his hooves and moves to greet us. He naturally pauses upon seeing me. "And...oh, you're the human I've been hearing about, aren't you?"

"That's right. I'm looking to start up a hobby in music," I explain to him without looking at him. Instead, I peruse his wares. My first instinct is to check the price tags, but I can't read them, so I've no idea if what I'm looking at is in my price range. "Me being human isn't a problem, is it?"

"Of course not! I'm sorry if I gave that impression. I'm Noteworthy, and I own this shop," the stallion responds placatingly. "Please, browse at your leisure. If you need my recommendations on anything in particular, feel free to ask."

"Thanks, but I think I know what I'm after." I never did care to work with store officials, and now is no exception. That being said, I do need an interpreter. I glance over at Rainbow, meeting her gaze in the process. "Rainbow, as long as you're here, make yourself useful and read these price tags to me."

"Huh? Why can't you read them yourself?" Rainbow asks, looking confused. Right, I never told her.

"I can't read your language, and I'd like to know if I can afford anything here." I deadpan. Rainbow blinks and then looks sheepish. From there, she and I make our way down the selection of keyboards and guitars.

Unfortunately, it seems I was right to be concerned. Just like in my era, getting a decent guitar is extremely expensive, with bit prices ranging in the hundreds. The same goes for the pianos. That being said, not everything is outside my price range.

"Ah, a budding guitarist, are we?" Noteworthy asks amicably as I place my purchases atop the counter. While electric guitars are more my style, an acoustic is the closest I can get while still remaining affordable. In addition to the guitar, I've also bought a tuner and a set of guitar picks. "A solid choice! There's always a desire for good guitar players in contemporary bands, if that's what you're aiming for."

"We'll see," I say, deliberately choosing not to be very talkative. When it comes to shopping, I mostly just want to get what I need and get out so I can get back home. Once my purchases are rung up and I've passed over the requisite bits, I grab my new guitar along with its accessories and leave the store, barely registering Noteworthy's response.

"Heh, somebody looks excited," Rainbow observes smugly, the mare now hovering in the air beside me.

"Do I?" I ask with a hint of surprise; I don't feel like I've been presenting myself any differently.

"You must be! It's the first expression you've worn that hasn't been annoyed or angry!" Rainbow points out, poking at my cheek with a hoof. She then snickers. "Whoops, it's back to annoyed again."

"Gee, I wonder why…" I retort, rubbing my cheek where she'd poked me. "It couldn't possibly have anything to do with this insufferable mare following me around. That would be insane."

"It's not my fault you can't appreciate awesome," Rainbow flits around to my other side, somehow flying through the air upside down while looking insufferably smug. "So are you going to go home and rock out on your new guitar?"

"As much as I can with an acoustic. Are you going to follow me all the way home?"

"Thinking about it, if only to see how annoyed you'd get." Rainbow's words cause me to have an unwelcome case of deja vu. I shoot her a glare, but it only seems to amuse her. "Nah, I actually gotta scram and get some food. You gonna be at the gig on Monday?"

"It's my job," I reply simply, mentally resigning myself to dealing with Rainbow that entire night, if this evening was anything to go by. "Don't let me be the one keeping you around."

"It was fun! I'll catch you on Monday, then!" Rainbow gives me a wave, and then she disappears from my vision in a flash of multicolor, her speed as unreal as always. I watch her go for a moment, and then I make my way back to Vinyl's house.

I glance at my new guitar. Rainbow was right about one thing; I am feeling some semblance of excitement at having an instrument of my own once again. My fingers already itch to touch the strings, and the familiar shapes of chords begin to form in my mind.

When I reach Vinyl's house, I intend to make use of the rest of my evening, as well as the following day, to capitalize on my new ability to make music. Then we'll see if Rainbow's talk has any merit. 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay, first things first, I should probably assure you all that although it looks like a lot of scenes have been cut, not all of them have been. It would be more accurate to say that I'm shifting a lot of scenes around to fit the flow of the story. What with removing the blow up at Pinkie, a lot of that is necessary. Book II is basically unrecognizable now with all the changes I've made.

I don't have much more to say on the subject, so once more, let's give thanks to Vayne and Brave for editing my work! And don't forget to leave me a comment to let me know what you think of my changes!

As always, if you want to come chat with me, come join my discord! Find me at darkterraform#4122


	15. Return to Rock

"There you go. One week's worth of rent." I pass the bulging bag of bits over to Vinyl, rendering my total number of bits back down to zero. Not for the first time, I find myself bitter, yet wholly grateful that I don't have much of a need for bits at the moment, otherwise this moment would feel much more painful.

"Sweet! That takes care of that." Vinyl accepts the bag and slides it in a cupboard beneath the coffee table. She immediately turns her gaze to the guitar case resting against the wall just behind me, hardly bothering to hide her interest. "So…I see you went and bought yourself a guitar. I guess all that talk about being a musician wasn't just talk, then."

"You doubted me?" I question with a raised brow. "If so, why did you hire me?"

"Relax, I'm only joking. I knew you were short on cash." Vinyl briefly gives me a wry look. "Back when we first met, you said you play the piano. You play guitar too?"

"I tried a bunch of different instruments to pass the time growing up." At Vinyl's behest, the two of us move back to the couch with the guitar in tow. "Brass and woodwind instruments never really clicked with me, but I found an affinity for stringed instruments, like piano and guitar."

"That's pretty cool. I'm actually a little jealous; I can sing I guess, but I'm all about that electric sound, so instruments are a no go for me." Vinyl motions over her shoulder, though I can't tell what she's trying to indicate. "You gonna try her out? I've got a soundproofed room in the back if you want to use it."

"That depends, are you going to be watching?" I reply, not too crazy about the idea of having an audience before I've even had a chance to clear the rust out of my skills.

"What, you get stage jitters?" Vinyl takes the chance to tease me, a grin crossing her muzzle. I roll my eyes, earning a chuckle from her. "Nah, you can have the room to yourself if you want. I want to hear you eventually though."

"First I'm going to see how rusty I've become." I reply. "Do you care if I use the room now?"

"Nah, go ahead. I figure you'd want to try her out the second you had a chance," Vinyl accurately states. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."

I grab my guitar, and then Vinyl takes down the first floor hallway to a large room that has been thoroughly converted into a production level studio. The walls are covered with soundproofing material, and all of Vinyl's equipment—consisting of her turntables, speakers, and lighting equipment—is all set up in the back ready to go.

"Vinyl," I say, a stray thought coming to me. "If I'm using your music room, what are you doing for the rest of the evening?"

"Hay if I know. Maybe read some magazines or chill to some tunes in my room. Probably both." Vinyl shrugs. "Why, what's up?"

"Nothing. Forget I asked." _It feels odd that she's giving up this room so easily when I'm pretty sure she lives in here when I'm not around._ "I'll see you later then."

"For sure." With that, Vinyl leaves me to my own devices in the music room, closing the door behind her.

This would mark the first time I've been in a fully soundproofed room. It's an odd sensation; I can hear every little movement that I make, yet at the same time, it all seems quiet. I clear my throat, finding that even my voice sounds weird without the echo. In spite of the surreal experience, I find myself excited to hear how the guitar will sound in such an environment. It's no secret that the best quality recordings were done in similar rooms to this.

I remove the guitar from its case, revealing one not unlike Applejack's, except this one is brand new with a rich, glossy, wooden finish. Rolling over the chair from Vinyl's tables, I sit down and rest the guitar on my lap. One by one, I go through each of the strings, using my new tuner to ensure each string is properly in key.

Clutching the pick loosely between my thumb and index fingers, I sigh. It feels like a lifetime has passed since last I've played. My fingers trace the patterns of familiar chords once again, and I start to play.

At first I keep it simple, switching between the standard chords typically used in classic rock tunes just to see if I can remember finger placement. Ultimately, it's very much like riding a bike; it doesn't take long before the muscle memory kicks in.

A feeling of satisfaction comes over me as I run through the notes to a rock song I remember, my head lightly bobbing up and down to the beat. My fingers slip every now and then, but that's only to be expected. The fact that I can do this much, along with the crystal clear sound coming from the guitar, is more than enough to sate me.

* * *

"You're still going?" Vinyl whistles as she finds me the following morning still in the soundproofed room, guitar clutched firmly in my hands. "That's some dedication. Did you even go to bed last night?"

"I didn't stay up all night, if that's what you're asking." I take my strumming hand away from the strings and turn to face her, a little peeved that I've been interrupted. "I went to bed not long after you did, and then woke up earlier than usual."

"Waking up early when you don't have to? Sounds rough," Vinyl jokes. She motions back towards the door. "Anyway, there's food on the counter. Come get it while it's still hot, then we'll talk."

Wondering what she means by that, I follow behind her to the breakfast table, where a steaming plate of eggs and toast rested on either side of the table, along with a folded up newspaper.

"So how'd the session go? Still rusty?" Vinyl asks as she sits down at the table, her horn already lifting up the newspaper and unfolding it on the table beside her.

"A little bit, but it's all coming back quickly enough." I sit down as well and reach for the plate, already starting to dig in. "Is it really that interesting to you?"

"Yeah, duh. I'm a musician," Vinyl reminds me of the obvious, tapping a hoof to her muzzle. "Not to mention, it's cool to see you doing something _other_ than working and sleeping. I was wondering how you hadn't gotten burnt out or bored out of your mind."

"I...haven't had the time nor presence of mind." Vinyl's words hit me harder than I expect. I really haven't taken any time to relax at all since arriving in Equestria; it's just been wake up, eat, work at Applejack's, work with Vinyl, do other chores that need to be done, eat, and sleep. I notice Vinyl starting to look sympathetic. "Besides, how could I possibly be bored, considering every time I turn my back, another one of you ponies is sidling up to me, acting kind and getting offended?"

"Ouch. Harsh," Vinyl remarks, turning the page of her newspaper. "Though that actually reminds me; since when did you and Dash start getting along?"

"Oh for god's sake," I immediately say, rubbing my forehead in annoyance at the thought of that insufferable mare. "I wouldn't call it that. Somehow she went from hating me to never leaving me alone. I personally think it doesn't make any sense."

"I did hear that she's been hanging around you. Not to mention you two apparently tussled. So did you like, fight out your differences? Because I could totally see that with her," Vinyl pressed curiously. "Come oon, gimme the deets."

"More or less. Though my opinion of her hasn't much changed. She's still the same childish egotist who doesn't know when to quit. I don't know what's her angle, but whatever it is, it's not happening." I grow more and more uncomfortable as Vinyl insists. "What's it matter to you anyway?"

"Hey, I'm just asking. She's a friend and it's a small town." Vinyl shrugs, sipping her coffee. "I wouldn't worry about her trying to get anything out of you. She's more likely to prank you than anything else."

"Prank me? Are you serious? Is she a actually a child?" I repeat disbelievingly.

"Nope, she's as old as me!" Vinyl affirms with a grin. "So what, you've never pulled off a good prank before?"

"Why would I? It's ridiculous, and no self-respecting individual would ever stoop to such a level just for the sake of a few cheap laughs." I express, recalling the sort of nonsense people used to pull in high school. "Does she have nothing better to do?"

"Whoa, dude. I think you should chill for a moment," Vinyl says while furrowing her eyebrows. "There's nothing wrong with a little practical joke here and there."

"There is when it's at the expense of someone else." I counter, not convinced. "How is finding humor in the misery of other people a good thing? If anything, it shows how awful a person you are."

"Hold on, what? Are we even talking about the same thing?" Vinyl laid down the newspaper, looking confused. "Who's humiliating who? What kind of pranks have you seen, dude?"

"Well…" Memories of my early public school life come to mind; where I first started to realize that the world wasn't as kind as my family led me to believe. "Tripping someone with fishing wire, locking someone into the girl's bathroom at school and then getting a teacher, sending messages to someone pretending to be someone else. Those were the most popular ones," I say as I tick off each prank with my fingers.

"Uh…" Vinyl's eyes widen as she listens to me, a firm look of disgust forming on her face. "Yeah, that's not what a prank is. That's just being a jerk. There's a big difference between the two. Pranks are supposed to be fun for everypony involved, not hurtful."

"Either way, it doesn't seem like something a grown adult should be doing." I relent with a hint of bad grace. I'm not willing to change my opinion, regardless of how surprisingly noble her words sound.

"You know, sometimes it's okay to let down your mane and have a little fun, even if it means acting a little like a foal." Vinyl admonishes me. I don't answer, focusing on eating the food in front of me. She sighs, but ultimately turns back to her newspaper rather than argue with me further. A long silence ensues between us as Vinyl scans the pages, and I finish up my meal. When Vinyl finally says something, it's in reaction to something she reads in the paper. "Uh oh."

"What?" I ask before I can stop myself. Vinyl turns around the paper to show me a rather indistinct picture of what appears to be the Everfree Forest...and there's something large hidden within the trees. I can barely make it out, but there's no doubt that it's a predator of some sort due to the large pincers I can see. "What in the name of all that is holy is that!?"

"Another reason to stay away from the Everfree Forest. Apparently we needed one more." Vinyl brings the newspaper back to keep reading. "Looks like the Scorpios is active again. Yeesh, that's just as bad as an Ursa Major."

"I'm confused. Those are constellations. What do those have anything to do with monsters in the Everfree?"

"Oh, there are also monsters that go by the same names. Supposedly they share an affinity or whatever with those constellations," Vinyl attempts to explain, though it only makes me more confused. "...This isn't making any sense to you, is it?"

"Not one bit. Stars are hundreds of light years away from us; how could any monster possess any kind of affinity with them?" I remind her.

Vinyl shrugs helplessly. "Magic?"

"You've got to give me something more than that." This isn't the first time the answer to my questions has been magic. I'm getting really tired of hearing that as an acceptable explanation.

"I dunno, dude, I'm just a DJ. Twilight might tell you, though. She knows pretty much everything," Vinyl remarks. "I just know the basics; they're real tough, mean and I should stay far away from them. The Ursa Major I know at least doesn't really leave its cave, but the Scorpios wakes up every so often and starts terrorizing the forest. I hear ponies have been going missing in that forest for centuries."

"Well that's just great. Not ominous at all." I shudder at the thought that I could have run into such a monstrosity during my time in the forest. For better or worse, I was exceedingly lucky.

"No kidding. Do yourself a favor and stay away from the forest, yeah? At least until that thing goes back to sleep."

"Trust me, there is no force on this planet that could get me to go back to that forest." With that, I finish my meal and stand up from the table. "Thanks for the meal. I'm going to head to the shower then back to the music room."

"Sounds good to me. Might join you in a bit." Vinyl calls after me as I go. Hearing that only causes me to sigh.

Sure enough, Vinyl pokes her head into the music room not long after I get back to practicing. I do my best to keep playing, but before long, she slips entirely inside the room and closes the door behind her. I stop playing and turn to face her.

"Can I help you?" I ask impatiently.

"Aw, why'd you stop?" Vinyl expresses with clear disappointment. "You're not bad at all! I even had a little tune running in my head with those chords."

"I'm grateful for the room, but I prefer to practice without an audience." I say with a shrug, lowering the guitar and placing it flat on my lap.

"Come on, don't be like that. I just want to hear what kinds of songs you play. Country, rock, blues…? This mare is all kinds of curious!" Vinyl as she moves towards the corner of the room, close to where her turntables are. She puts on an awkward grin when she sees my unchanging expression. "Really, I'll be good. Not a sound from me." Her grin starts crumbling under my deadpan gaze. "Just a few minutes?"

I glare at her, annoyed at her persistence. Despite her reassurances, I don't want her in the room while I play. But at the same time, it doesn't seem smart for me to argue too much with her when it's by her leave that I can even play in this room in the first place. I grit my teeth, resenting the fact that I took her offer; it feels like I unintentionally let her do me a favor. This resentment turns to resignation when I realize that if I hadn't agreed to use this room, Vinyl would have heard my playing through the walls anyway. This alone causes me to calm down.

"A few minutes only. Then I'm going to ask you again to leave me to my practice." I relent before turning my gaze back to my guitar, ignoring Vinyl's happy confirmation. I move the pick to the strings...and realize I don't know what to play. Before, I was just running through simple songs I knew to pick up the groove.

Out of the many guitar songs I remember, I've only mastered the solos of a scant few of them. Before I realize what I'm doing, I opt for the song that never failed to perk me up. It was a song that Amaryllis and I used to enjoy during those hours long trips in the car.

At first, it's nothing more than a singular chord that I repeatedly play. I play that for a solid few seconds until I have the beat running in my head. Then, I start to run through the opening riffs of the song. Typically, these riffs were combined with the base chord, involving two separate guitarists.

As the song turns into four separate chords to build up to the first verse, I realize that maybe starting off with one of the more difficult songs wasn't the most sensible idea. It's coming back to me easily enough, but it would have been much safer to start out with something simple. So why did I pick this one? What was I trying to prove?

Vinyl listens intently as the song goes on, her head bobbing up and down in rhythm to the beat. When I reach the solo and my muscle memory kicks in, the shades slide down her nose as her eyes widen in surprise and admiration. A grin slowly crosses her muzzle as she moves over to her turntables.

So intent am I on not screwing up the solo that I don't notice what she's doing. In fact, I'm several measures into the final chorus when I realize that the beat in my head isn't just in my head anymore. I blink up in surprise; a distinct electronic drum beat courses through the room, courtesy of the speakers set up around Vinyl's turntables.

My first thought is to yell at her, my playing faltering in the wake of my surprise. Yet, I realize that the beat she's putting out fits with the song I'm playing rather well. I decide to wait until the end of the song before I confront her about it.

"What did we say about not making a sound?" I demand of her, lowering my hand from the strings once again.

"Hey, I technically didn't...it was my tables," Vinyl has the presence of mind to look sheepish at my confrontation. I shake my head in disbelief. "Hay with that, though. You're baller, dude! After hearing you do that solo, I had to join in. You needed a beat!"

"Vinyl, you should have given me some warning. I've never played with someone else before," I tell her, my voice remaining calm. I'm not as angry as I feel I should be; despite her intruding on my practice in the first place, it didn't feel bad to have a backing beat.

"Sorry, it was a spur of the moment thing. But really, you've always been solo? I can't believe it, not with that skill." Vinyl swiftly brings the topic back to me, her apology lasting no more than instant.

"I've always found practicing on my own to be good enough," I reply. Yet I know that's not entirely true. My mood darkens as I remember the one person whom I eventually wanted to show my playing. "Are you satisfied now?"

"Yeah, but I gotta see that again. Want to play through that again with me all the way through? I think I've got an idea how to play along. There's like five chords, right?" Vinyl's excitement seems only to be ramping up. "Dear Celestia, imagine how that would sound if it were a bit heavier…"

"Vinyl, are you even listening to me?" She either doesn't hear me or chooses to blatantly ignore me, her eyes lighting up as an idea comes to her. Yet, due to the conflict I'm feeling between wanting solitude and having a backing beat, my words come quieter than usual.

"Stay right there! I've got an idea!" Vinyl zips out of the studio for a moment, and seconds later I can hear her ruffling through the mess that is her living room. Eventually she returns with the very same black electric guitar that I'd seen her with the night I moved in. She passes it over to me, the guitar held firmly in her telekinesis. "Here, use this!"

"What? That's your guitar; I'm not going to touch it,"I protest, as much as the beautiful instrument hanging before me appeals to me.

"Hah, it's actually not. It belongs to my old roommate back at uni. A real rocker mare, that one," Vinyl reveals with a chuckle. "I've been planning to go see her and give it back eventually, but she's since moved on to a better magic guitar. She won't mind if you use this."

"Magic guitar. So I'm guessing it works with magic…" I deduce dryly. Sure enough, I spot a crystalline orb set in the base of the guitar, the interior swirling with magic. I set my acoustic down gently on the floor. I also set my rifle down, as I can't wear a strap without it getting in the way. I then accept the guitar from Vinyl, feeling its satisfying weight with a hint of excitement welling up inside of me. I pluck one of the strings, but it sounds just the same as any other unplugged guitar. "How do you make it work?"

"Easy! Just flip that switch at the bottom there...and…" Vinyl instructs me. I easily find the switch she's talking about and flip it. When I next pluck the string, the easily recognizable sound of a distorted electric guitar rings out, sounding like pure joy to my ears. _There's a sound long and dear to my heart_. "There we go! How's that for metal?"

"Oh man..." Is my simple response. Vinyl beams at my reaction. As much as I'd rather have her out of the room, the chance to play on an instrument like this overpowers all my reservations. I can't wait any longer; I stand up from the stool and strum the first chord on the guitar, filling the room with the satisfying sound of distortion. Then, I run through a simple set of scales to familiarize myself with the guitar's sound.

Without any further warning, I start to play the song again, playing the first chord repeatedly in a steady rhythm. Vinyl doesn't waste any time in joining in, her electronic beat meshing surprisingly well with the guitar. This run through of the song quickly turns into experimentation as Vinyl and I occasionally trade off parts of the song to get a better idea of how best to work off each other.

"I'll take the four chords, you take the rhythm—at least until the chorus hits," Vinyl reasons during a pause in the song. "Then the solo's all yours."

I nod, and we once again start the song, and this time the song feels just like it should. With her taking the rhythm at the beginning, I can focus on leading in the song with various guitar riffs that lead up to the four chords. When we reach that point, we switch, and I return to the rhythm, and she takes control.

My stress and worries seem to fade away in the wake of the music filling my ears. With my eyes fixed on the fretboard and my focus entirely on hitting the notes, there's no room to think about my nebulous state of mind. It's just me, the beat, and the music. At one point, I even start to hum the vocal line, though it's easily drowned out by our combined sound.

"Yeah, let's turn it up!" Vinyl is equally excited, her telekinesis turning up both the volume on her tables and my guitar simultaneously. We grow so loud that it feels like I have front row seats at a rock concert, but that only seems to add to the experience. "Whooo!"

After the chorus, I shoot right into the solo, doing better than before now that I remember what notes to strum and when to bend each string. My bends could still use some work, but for the most part I'm able to run through it with a great deal of effort. I remember always feeling jealous of those guitarists who could make solos look so easy.

We hit the final chorus at near max volume. The original studio recording of the song ends in a fade out, so when it comes time to end the song, I try to just end after the last chorus, but in the vacuum, Vinyl surprises me with a drum solo, and when she finishes, it only feels right to strum the last chord once more.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Vinyl cheers, the mare leaping clear over her tables to come talk with me. I flip the switch to turn off the distortion on the guitar, and I hand it back to her with some reluctance. Vinyl catches the guitar with her magic, and bumps my leg with her hoof. "That was a rockin' good time! I could see myself jamming with you live, if you got talent like that!"

"I suppose it wasn't awful," is my seemingly uncaring response, but if I'm honest with myself, that was probably the most fun I've had since coming to this era...and probably the most fun I've had playing music in my entire life. I feel like I've gone over the moon and back.

"That's an understatement. What song was that anyway?" Vinyl questions curiously. She places the guitar gently on the ground beside mine. "I've never heard a style like that before."

"It's a human song. It's essentially all about turning up the music to get away from the day's work," I reveal to her, feeling somewhat wistful. My thoughts turn to my phone, where the song in question is present, but I'm unable to play it for fear of wasting what little battery I have left.

"Hah, I can get behind that. Though I guess music _is_ my day's work…" Vinyl brushes at her chin, thinking for a brief moment before shrugging. "Eh, whatever. Still, it sounds killer. Would you do it live with me sometime?"

"That would be a bad idea. My reputation in town isn't the best, in case you forgot," I point out, recalling just how many ponies think poorly of me. Granted, that was intentional and entirely my own doing, but it is what it is. "I can't imagine my presence doing you any favors."

"Eh, you're thinking too hard about it. Ponies come to my shows to party, not to ask questions about who or what I'm playing with," Vinyl waves my concern away, much to my annoyance.

"Clearly you don't understand how people work, then. People are judgmental and are drawing conclusions about performers and their performances from the moment they walk out on stage. They can look like they're having fun, but could be entirely dissatisfied."

"Now you're _really_ thinking too hard about it." Vinyl eyes me with disapproval. "Besides, you've only been to a few of my gigs. You're saying you know what ponies think even when you don't join in or talk to them?"

"I…" I pause, realizing that Vinyl has effectively driven me into a corner. To prove my point, I'd have to talk about my own race, and I'd rather not do that, else I risk my mood plummeting from my own cynicism. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'm not ready to perform live anyway. It's too soon."

"That's fair." Vinyl eyes me a little longer, looking as though she wants to continue that discussion. She thankfully chooses not to do so. "Think about it, alright? It's not the first time I've taken a guest star for a few performances."

I don't answer.

* * *

After an hour or so more of practicing on my acoustic, I decide to take a break and get some fresh air. I leave the house and enter the streets, figuring that a walk around the perimeter of town may do me some good. Remembering what I'd heard about the Scorpios, I keep my wanderings to the north side of Ponyville,

During my walk, I notice that I can see a great deal more guards than normal. They're mostly earth ponies, equipped with silver armor and spears, who are stationed at seemingly every street corner. It seems the princesses finally got around to stationing extra guards here to watch me. To confirm this, I walk by one of them and notice that his eyes snap to me the moment I walk within view and follow me until I leave his sight.

As annoying as that is, what with the Scorpios prowling around, the extra protection could come in handy. That's assuming they bother to protect me too, which is a bit too generous of an assumption to make.

I cast my gaze around the different shops and cafes as I walk. Sometimes if the identifying signs are clear enough I can reason what the business specializes in, but often my inability to read Equestrian gets in the way. This handicap is beginning to irritate me; reading is often what I did when I needed a break from music or games back in my era, and now that hobby is suddenly unavailable away me. It's clear to me that I need to relearn how to read if I'm going to keep the boredom at bay.

As I pass by the schoolhouse, the idea of asking Cheerilee for help in that regard comes to mind; no doubt she's used to teaching language at an elementary level. Yet such lessons would cost money that I don't have at the moment. Ultimately, I file that idea away for later.

Before reaching Vinyl's house again, I double back the way I came to make my walk last a little longer. It's cold out, but not so cold that it renders my clothing ineffective. I'm more than comfortable enough to continue walking.

I arrive near Rarity's Boutique after another fifteen minutes. Sadly, my walk hasn't killed that much time at all. Perhaps I should catch up on lost sleep with a nap. Rather than walk near the boutique, I cut through the park nearby, thinking that it'll be a quick and easy way back.

So far, though there are some ponies I've recognized, none of them required any sort of interaction on my part. Unfortunately, my good luck comes to an abrupt end when I reach the fountain clearing at the center of the park.

Lyra is sitting at the base of the fountain, her lyre hovering in the air just in front of her. She's not alone either; just like the last time I interacted with her here, she has a small audience of ponies sitting on the benches near her

"Oh hey, Seth." She spots me almost immediately, even as my spirits sink at the inevitable confrontation. She gives me a smile and a wave, almost as if she thinks that acting friendly will magically change the way I feel about her. "Can we talk for a moment?"

I turn to the other direction in stoic silence, having absolutely zero interest in hearing what she has to say. In my current state of mind, dealing with a pony with a ridiculous and disgusting interest in me is one of the last things I want. This time, however, avoiding her doesn't seem like it'll be so easy.

"Come on, it'll only take a moment!" Lyra insists, the mare abandoning her audience in favor of following me. The clear tension in our interaction is enough to get the attention of the nearby ponies. "Please, I'm sorry about before!"

When I still don't acknowledge her, Lyra's expression turns from sorrow to desperation. Suddenly, my progress stops. I blink, finding myself completely unable to move. No matter how much I strain my muscles, my limbs won't budge. The pressure in my chest makes itself known as well, as if reacting to the aura of golden magic that has engulfed me.

"What the…" Much like the last time I was frozen with magic, further struggling proves pointless. I start to panic, feeling like an animal trapped in a cage. My mind goes down a dark route; just how far is she willing to go in the name of pursuing me? "Lyra, let me go right now. Now, you hear me!?"

"I'm really sorry, but you just keep ignoring me. This is the only way I can make you listen!" Lyra weakly explains, her horn still glowing with magic. "Please, I just want to make things right!"

"Are we _really_ going to do this here!?" I snap back at her, unable to turn my body to face her. I can hear the murmurs of the onlooking ponies, no doubt promising that word of this incident is going to spread all over town by tomorrow at the latest. "Take a look around, you moron; we're hardly alone!"

"You're right...I don't want to do this in front of everypony. We'll move elsewhere." Lyra agrees, and then suddenly I'm moving through the air despite the fact that my body remains motionless. I'm aware that unicorns are capable of telekinesis, but I didn't think they could move something as large as me.

"How about putting me down first!?" I demand, thoroughly unsettled. With this knowledge comes the realization that any unicorn can do whatever they want with me, whenever they want, regardless of my intentions. My mind goes bleak at the realization how helpless I am in front of magic. "Lyra!"

Lyra eventually puts me down in a shaded spot between the wall of a building and a small group of trees. She releases me from her magic, and my immediate first instinct is to put as much distance between myself and her as I can. I know she'll only catch me in her magic again, so instead I direct a withering glare towards her.

"Lyra...give me one good reason why I shouldn't call for the guard right now," I tell her in a dangerously calm voice. With guards all over the streets, there's no doubt that if I shout loud enough, I can get the attention of at least one of them. Lyra recoils at my tone of voice.

"C-Call the guard?" Lyra gulps at that, and then a look of incredulous disbelief crosses her face. "Seth, I'm only trying to apologize to you! I'm really sorry I had to bring you here with force, but you just wouldn't give me a chance otherwise!"

"I don't know how to make it clearer that I want _nothing_ to do with you. At this point, all you're doing is wasting both my time and yours." My rejection is as cold as it could possibly be.

"Could you at least let me finish!" Lyra snaps, surprising me with how vehement she sounds. She sighs. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that teasing you like that would make you never want to talk to me again. Please, can we just forget it ever happened, and go back to the way we were before?"

"You weren't teasing; you were flirting, and you had been since you met me," I correct her harshly, causing her to flinch and look embarrassed. "I have no interest in you in that way, and you'd be better off finding some other person to lust after."

"Couldn't you have just said that then? You're acting like flirting is some kind of unforgivable crime!" Lyra accuses me. She notices my look of disgust, and then points at me accusingly. "There it is again! Do you think I wanted to jump your bones right then and there, or something?"

"Are you telling me that's not the case?" I find it difficult to believe that anyone implying that their butt is nice to look at has anything other than lust on their mind.

"Obviously not! What kind of mare do you think I am? I was teasing!" Lyra appears offended by my question. "Okay, so _maybe_ I was being a little flirtatious, but what's wrong with that? I just wanted to see if there was any interest on your end...you know, like how flirting is supposed to work?"

"I can't fathom why you'd pick me of all people." Her words make me feel somewhat foolish; I don't actually know how flirting is supposed to work, considering all I know of it is through rumors and the media. But I'm not about to admit that. "But I'm not attracted to ponies in the least. Nor do I have any interest in romance."

"Well, then that's that, I guess. But really, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you uncomfortable," Lyra repeats, dipping her head. I gaze at her for a long time, mulling her words over in my head.

"Alright." In the end, I just wanted her to stop. The idea of relations with a pony was and is still completely disgusting. But if she's giving up, then I've no reason to keep being angry with her...apart from being forced into an alleyway. "As long as you remember that, I'll overlook what happened the other day."

"Thank goodness." Lyra's expression becomes radiant with happiness, and before I can stop her, she rears up on her hind legs and hugs me around the waist, her head resting on my stomach. "I'd thought I ruined our friendship just by being a little too forward."

"Alright, get off," I press down on top of her head, her sudden unwarranted affection making me uncomfortable. Not to mention, her words don't sit well with me. _Exactly how did we have a friendship in the first place, when all you did was force your company on me and tease me?_

"Sorry." Lyra hops down and gazes up at me with a smile. There's a short awkward moment where neither of us knows what to say. "So...are you going to be at Vinyl's gig tomorrow night?"

"It's my job." My typical answer to questions about Vinyl's gig comes to my lips. I realize with a sigh that if Lyra is going to tomorrow's gig, this confrontation was inevitable. I guess it's better I dealt with it now rather than then.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then! Sorry again for dragging you out here." With that, Lyra breaks away from me, leaving me once again in blissful solitude.

"What a pain in the ass these ponies are," I say to myself with a heavy sigh, and then I resume walking back to Vinyl's house, slipping deep into thought. Humans never gave me this much trouble, and were perfectly content to leave me well enough alone after a single encounter.

Then again, humans never saved my life either.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

What's this? Terran's gone for months and suddenly two chapters within the same week? What is this nonsense!?

Right, so I've been trying so far to keep the chapters more or less beginning and ending at the same point. I've pretty much accepted that I'm going to have more chapters in the rewrite than I am in the original. Besides, after Lyra seemed like the best place to end this chapter...which before that was basically just "a day with Vinyl, the chapter."

Unfortunately, it seems I've sacrificed any development with the CMC and replaced it with more interactions with Vinyl and Dash, which could be a good thing (considering I forgot entirely about the CMC by the end of the story. I'm a GOOD writer, y'all.)

Anyway, please thank Brave and Vayne for their help editing this chapter, and please leave a comment to tell me what you think of my changes! And if you want to speak with me more personally, please come join my discord channel! Find me at darkterraform#4122


	16. A Night Out

Returning to Vinyl's house, I nap for a few hours to catch up on lost sleep. At the desk in my room, I make my first attempt at composing. The paper is rougher than I remember and the pencils are an odd thickness, but it's enough to suit my purposes.

I score the paper with as many horizontal lines as I can using a straightedge, grouping them in sets of six. Then, I spend the rest of the night transcribing as many chords and notes that I can remember from various songs, treating each group of six as the strings on a guitar. As exceptional I'd like to think my memory is, having a hard copy of the music on hand is just good practice.

After dinner, I retire for the night, dreading the onset of Monday.

* * *

I wake the following morning to see overcast skies hanging above the town. I make sure to dress warmly and grab my rifle as always before making my way towards the farm.

Work is more or less the same as always, though I notice Applejack makes a point of avoiding the side of the farm closest to the Everfree, postponing any chores that threaten to take us there or handling them so fast that I can't be of any help.

When I ask her, she brings up the same story in yesterday's newspaper.

"Are you really that worried?" I ask, my voice straining as I help her move the apple baskets from the cart into the cellar. "You don't think it'll come out this far from the forest, do you?"

"I ain't taking no chances. Too many ponies go missing whenever that thing's around," Applejack states, glancing worriedly at the dark fringe of the forest.

"If it's a problem, why haven't the guard done anything about it?" I've seen magic used as a part of everyday life, and once I've even been immobilized. Being unable to move a single muscle is a terrifying sensation. If ponies can do things like that so easily, I'm curious why they'd be afraid of anything. "Don't they have magic they can use to stop it?"

"Listen, sugarcube. I've seen one of them constellation monsters before; a big ol' bear larger than a house that can knock over trees like matchsticks...and that was just an Ursa Minor! I don't even wanna know how terrifying a Scorpio would be!" Applejack insists. "Ain't nopony I'd want to send in there, magic or not."

I cringe, recalling the image in the papers. The pony world is a much more terrifying place than I thought if monsters like those are free to roam unchecked. A moment later, I shoot her a disgruntled look, realizing what she just called me.

Applejack either doesn't notice my expression or doesn't care. She dusts off her hooves and returns back to the cart. "Enough about that. We ain't going near that forest until the guard gives the all clear, and that's final. Now let's get back to it. Much more to be done!"

"Don't I know it."

* * *

With ten more bits in tow, I attempt to make a quick exit from the farm, turning down Applejack's dinner offer as always. Yet fate conspires against me as I end up running right into the three young fillies along the dirt path leading back to town, the three of them no doubt on their way back from school. As they call out cheerful greetings to me and rush to meet up with me, I raise my hand to my forehead and rub my furrowed brow.

"Miss Cheerilee's been asking about you!" Apple Bloom says.

"Really now?" Meeting me must've left quite the impression, seeing how we've only spoken once. "What does she want?"

"She really wants you to come in and help with her history lesson!" Sweetie Belle answers.

"I think that would be really cool!" Apple Bloom chimes in, causing me to sigh.

"History is so boring though…" Scootaloo says disinterestedly. I give her an askance glance; I agree with that sentiment to an extent, but it's not worth discussing. More importantly, this might be the fair trade I need to get those language lessons from Cheerilee.

"I think she'll find human history to be a bit more...exciting...than she's accustomed to." Essays about the Crusades, the World Wars, and the Manhattan Project come to mind. Perhaps I could describe what I remember of the Sengoku period in a kid-friendly way. "I'm no public speaker, but it's worth negotiating."

"Worth what now?" Scootaloo asks confused.

"Negotiation, Scootaloo. Like trading?" Sweetie Belle explains.

"Well sorry, I don't know all these fancy words!" Scootaloo's indignantly says, as Sweetie Belle sticks her tongue out at her friend.

"Why not come with us to school? You could talk to miss Cheerilee then!" Apple Bloom brightens up as an idea strikes her. "What if you pick us up from school tomorrow? Then you play with us afterward!"

Not this again. I just can't seem to win with these three. I don't know how to tell them I'm not interested in playing with them.

"I can promise at least one of those things." Unfortunately, they take my dubious response as a confirmation, and the three of them cheer and immediately start to brainstorm what sorts of activities the four of us would do together. "Did you hear me? I'm not playing!"

"Scootering down the hills! Air trick cutie mark!"

"We should build boats and go sailing down the river! Humans are good at building things, right?"

"What if we build snow forts?"

"The snows aren't even here yet, dummy!" While Scootaloo berates Sweetie Belle, I stealthily edge away from them, wanting nothing to do with this whole situation.

"You come up with a better idea!"

"What if we went racing?" I quicken my pace to a power walk, putting as much distance between myself and them as I possibly can.

"That's the same as what you said bef… wait, where did Seth go?"

* * *

"You alright there, bro?" Vinyl raises an eyebrow when I come rushing in through the front door in undignified haste, slamming the door behind me and sliding against it. She lifts her head up from behind the couch to peer down the hallway. "What's up? I've literally never seen you run ever."

"Children!" I manage to get out in between my heavy panting. Vinyl blinks and attempts to rise, utterly perplexed at my answer."They're a menace!"

"Pffftt…" Vinyl's confusion quickly dissolves into mirth, her hoof rushing to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. She eventually can't hold it back any longer, the mare collapsing onto the couch and bursting out laughing. "Oh Celestia, I can't…!"

"Would you stop that? It's not funny!" I flush with embarrassment, realizing how stupid I must look. To Vinyl's credit, she makes a genuine attempt to stop laughing...for a few seconds. "Vinyl!"

"I'm sorry! It's just that you're always so serious, and then this…" Vinyl pauses to take a breath, and she grins at me evilly. "So children are your weakness, huh?"

"No, they're not! Quit looking at me like that and let's just get moving already!" No matter how much I glare at her, she won't stop snickering. I groan and resolve to ignore her; Once she's set up at wherever it is we're going, she'll be out of my hair for the rest of the evening. "So where's the gig supposed to be this time?"

"It's at a bar down by the river, called the Kindred Kelpie. It's nothing special; they just give a call when things get too quiet." Vinyl hops off of the couch and indicates the cart tucked against the back corner of the living room, where all of her equipment is packed up. Together, the two of us push it through the hallway and onto the street. "Tamer than a Pinkie Party, that's for sure."

"Thank heavens for that," I grunt. The place should hopefully be obscure enough that I'll be left to my own devices…but then I recall that Rainbow will be there, so I suppose there's no chance of that.

"Awright, let's get there quick before the pegasi start moving the rainclouds." With Vinyl's direction, it doesn't take us very long to reach the bar in question. After exchanging a few pleasantries with whom I assume is the bar owner, Vinyl shows me to the area where she intends to set up. "Let's get started! Same deal as before; though imma let you get a little more involved this time around."

I take a glance around the bar. It's nothing different than I had expected; the bar itself is easy to find, with various bottles both on and behind the counter. Some ponies are already sitting at the bar, drinking frothy liquid from wooden mugs. I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"There you are!" My vision is filled with every single color of the Rainbow as she zips in front of me from wherever she was hiding. I sigh, my hopes for a solitary evening thoroughly dashed, no pun intended. I suddenly remember that she'd told me she'd be here...as did Lyra. "I knew if I found Vinyl, you wouldn't be far behind! You ready to jam?!"

"For lack of a better word…" I reply, resignation falling over me. I have a feeling that there's no hope of escaping her company for the entirety of the night.

"Sup, Dash?" Vinyl greets Rainbow enthusiastically. She glances around at the ponies steadily trickling into the establishment. "Pretty awesome turnout we have tonight! You got anything to do with that?"

"You know it! I did the rounds…might have mentioned you'd be playing tonight," Rainbow responds coyly.

"Awesome! You know how much I love an audience!" She and Rainbow clop their front hooves together in what I assume is a high five. "I'll meet up with you later. Seth and I gotta set this all up."

"You do that. Seth, come hang out with me and the girls in the back when you're done!" Rainbow offers, jabbing a hoof back towards a table near the back of the establishment, where I spy Lyra, Bon Bon, Flitter, and Cloud all sitting together. Not counting Rainbow's seat, there's one empty chair left beside her.

"Whatever." I dismissively say, turning away from her. My eyes search the bar for any place to hide, but there are no dark corners or hidden tables in sight. There are the restrooms, but they can only buy me a few minutes at most. Rainbow flashes me a grin and flies back to her seat, leaving Vinyl and me to prepare for the upcoming performance.

Unlike the past couple of gigs, Vinyl has me assist her in uncoiling and arranging the multitude of wires that connect her extensive array of equipment to her turntables.

"You know why I roll out the rug last? Check out all these wires I've got all over the place. I gotta have all these ponies dancing till they drop, and this is all just one big tripping hazard waiting to happen otherwise," Vinyl explains while using her magic to tidy up the wiring arrangement.

Next, Vinyl and I arrange her speakers in such a way that the sound spreads more evenly across the room. Some of the speakers have holes in the top, in which metal poles are fitted so either other speakers or arrays of LED lights can be supported and hung from the ceiling.

"I get needing wires to get the lights and speakers running, but how do they get powered? Are you constantly channeling magic through them?" I question, eyeing Vinyl while she lifts up one of the light arrays.

"All night long!" Vinyl proudly answers. I frown; my knowledge of magic isn't the best—or average for that matter—but I can only assume much like any physical activity; it gets tiring maintaining that after a while.

"Put that down, then. I'll take care of it." I step in front of her and attempt to take the light array from her, facing some resistance from her telekinetic grip. "You should be conserving your magic."

"Whoa, is this sympathy I'm hearing?" Vinyl releases the array, allowing its weight to fall into my waiting arms. She nudges me with a grin. "You coming down with something, buddy?"

"Oh, shove it. I'm just being practical," I grumble.

"Sure, sure," Vinyl says as she nods her head. She lets me handle the lifting regardless, and instructs me how to fasten the arrays to the poles in the correct position and height.

Once we're finished, Vinyl runs through her set up, checking each piece of equipment and wire for malfunctions. When she's certain that everything is in place, we roll the rug over the floor.

"Alright, it's showtime!" Vinyl declares, dusting off her hooves. I nod and wipe the sweat off my brow. Working for ten hours straight is tiring enough; adding a gig on top of that is exhausting. That said, I'm starting to get used to the constant exertion during the day and the resulting soreness in the morning. "Imma get started! Feel free to mingle with the crowd!"

 _Mingle, huh?_ I think as I watch her step on the stage. I glance over at the table where the others are. It's obvious there's no getting out of this, so I reluctantly make my way over and take a seat.

"There you are! About time you finished," Rainbow greets me as I sit.

"Oh hey, Seth!" Lyra beams after seeing me. "I didn't get to say yesterday, but I absolutely love what you've done with your mane."

"Thanks, I guess." The compliment on my hair is nice to hear, but I wish it had come from literally anyone else.

"You do look really nice," Flitter shyly agrees with Lyra, glancing at my new ensemble.

"So Seth, right?" Cloud addresses me next, the mare running a hoof through her unruly mane. When I nod, she offers me a smile. "I'm Cloud Chaser, Flitter's older sis. Thanks for helping her the other day."

"As I said, I just happened to find it." I become uncomfortably aware of Rainbow's smirk from beside me. I wave a hand dismissively. "Don't let me interrupt. I'm only here because Rainbow dragged me."

"Only because you'd sit in a corner if I let you!" Rainbow says. "Everyone can always use a few more friends, right?"

"Riiight…" A surge of irritation rushes to the surface, and I have to stop myself from snapping at her. What I could use is peace and quiet. "Pardon me if I'm not particularly grateful."

"Aw, don't be a stick in the mud," Lyra teases me with a smile. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Seth? We don't really know anything about you."

"That's because I haven't been telling." It's downright insulting that she thinks I'd open up just because she asked. "I'm not interested in talking about myself, so try another topic."

Rainbow and Flitter wince beside me. Lyra tries to laugh it off, but then Bon Bon speaks up.

"You know, these four keep telling me you're not so bad, but I really don't see it." Bon Bon's words are the most honest I've heard out of these ponies in days. Now, _this_ I know how to handle. "I don't know how you fooled them, but you've been nothing but a jerk to everypony you met."

"You're not wrong." I accept her words readily enough, much to her surprise. "If there's anything I've learned about you ponies, it's that you don't know how to leave others well enough alone. Given a choice in the matter, I wouldn't be here. Sitting here and deflecting questions about things that aren't your business really isn't my idea of a good time."

"Seth, can you stop?" Rainbow says forcefully. I shrug, having said my piece.

"This is the guy you've been pining over for the past few days, Lyra!?" Bon Bon thrusts a hoof at me while staring at Lyra with an incredulous expression.

"Shhh, Bon Bon!" Lyra visibly colors as Rainbow, Flitter, and Cloud Chaser look between Lyra and me in shock. No doubt neither of them heard about the spat between Lyra and me, as I'd only ever told Rarity about it. "Please, it's okay."

"No, it's not! I just don't understand how you all see anything other than a rude and selfish jerk who thinks having basic manners is some kind of insult!" Bon Bon snaps. I raise a brow; she's getting rather fired up about this. She and Lyra are always together, so I guess it makes sense that she would have been on the receiving end of Lyra's woes. "If you don't want friends so bad, fine, but don't take it out on L...the rest of us!"

"Bon Bon…" Lyra whines.

"Okay, seriously, can we not!?" Rainbow finally raises her voice loud enough to cut across the rest of us. "We came here to have fun, everypony, so quit yelling at each other!"

"Fine. I'm done wasting my time on him anyway," Bon Bon grumbles, returning to her drink in sullen silence. I shrug and lean back in my chair, my arms crossed across my belly; I'm used to people like her, so I'm not upset. I pointedly ignore the disapproving stare Rainbow is giving me.

An awkward silence falls across the table. Cloud Chaser coughs and clops her hooves together lightly, while Flitter suddenly finds the handle of her mug to be the most interesting thing in the world. Thankfully, Vinyl comes to the rescue, her speakers screeching to life.

"Sup, Everypony! That's right, the one and only Vinyl Scratch is here to provide you with the best beats this side of Equestria!" Vinyl announces enthusiastically. The ponies in the building, including the ones sitting with me, cheer loudly back. "That's what I like to hear! Now with this song, I wanna see everypony lookin' alive!"

Vinyl slaps a record on her turntables, and the air shakes with the thrumming of the bass. Before long, I find myself bobbing my head ever so slightly to the beat, the rest of the world falling into the background.

"You good over there, Seth?" Rainbow nudges me below the table, her voice only barely audible above the music. I raise an eyebrow at her question. "Bon Bon did just go off on you."

"I'm more tired than anything; I'd hoped to relax tonight. Instead, I have to play at socializing with ponies that I'd really rather not deal with at the moment. I can barely handle your presence, and I feel like I've just been thrown into the deep end," I reply, choosing to be honest with her. Rainbow wrinkles her nose at that, but she doesn't say anything. I suddenly realize something. "Hold on, it sounds like you just acknowledged me as the victim rather than the instigator."

"Well...yeah. I already know you hate talking about yourself," Rainbow points out. "You said so, and that should have been fine, right? I feel like Bon Bon may have been overreacting a little. Did you two get off on the wrong hoof or something?"

"The first thing she asked me is why I wasn't dead. You tell me." Come to think of it, that was also when I first met Lyra. I glance over at them, noting the way Bon Bon was looking at her.

"Ouch…" Rainbow winces. She drains the rest of what's in her mug and slams it on the table. "Still, you could loosen up a bit too. Tell you what, I'll buy you a drink and we can talk about something else. Sound good?"

"No thanks. I don't need you buying me anything," is my immediate response.

"I insist! It's impossible to stay grumpy after a good cup of apple cider!" Rainbow presses on, pressing a hoof to my shoulder. I hear that and scoff in disgust. The implication was there from the moment Vinyl called this place a bar but hearing her say cider cements my assumption. Rainbow looks offended by my reaction. "Hey, what's wrong with cider!?"

"I don't drink, and I'm not going to start now," I tell her firmly, expecting a look of disappointment back.

Instead, Rainbow Dash looks surprisingly puzzled, her head tilted to one side. "Huh? You don't drink? Don't all things have to drink? What gives?"

"Quit messing with me. I'm talking about alcohol. I have something against poisoning myself into depravity." I snap back at her, causing her ears to fold back from my tone. I couldn't have been any clearer, but Rainbow is still staring at me with genuine confusion. Hold on now...she can't possibly be _this_ ignorant. "Do you...not know what alcohol is?" I ask, my words losing their bite.

"No...should I?" Rainbow admits honestly after dithering a little.

"You just said apple cider. Doesn't that have chemicals in it that lower your inhibitions and make it harder to think?" With every word I say, she just looks more and more confused.

"What are you even talking about? Apple cider is just apples! Who in the hay would put something like that in my precious cider!?" Rainbow retorts, appalled by the very concept of someone contaminating her drink. I blink, taken aback. Ponies don't have alcohol? They've been so similar to humans in their culture so far that such a thought didn't even occur to me. A sense of relief flows through me; the idea of a drunk Rainbow is something I hope I never have to deal with.

"Humans did, and I never understood why," I answer, my mood lifting slightly. "In that case, I will try a mug. How much are we talking?"

"It's pretty cheap here; just two bits!" Rainbow says. She huffs as I pass her the required amount of money, but thankfully doesn't try to give it back. "Agh, I said I'd pay for it, you stubborn human!"

"And I ignored you, you conniving pony." I shoot back without missing a beat. For some reason, Rainbow pauses, giving me a rather mischievous expression.

"Look who's talking, you pasty-faced giant." I look to her with surprise to see her watching me with a grin. What's she trying to pull here?

"I don't want to hear it from a technicolor adrenaline junkie."

"Yeah, well you're a whiny jerkface!" The playfulness in her voice becomes more noticeable.

"Better than being a deformed worm thing." I find myself shooting insults back at her despite understanding how utterly juvenile this is.

"Says the weak-limbed wonder!"

"Shove it, you hoofed blabbermouth."

"Smelly ape with the stupid hair!"

"You _did not_ just…" I glare at her. "That's rich, coming from evolution's acid trip."

"Rich, coming from a cocky smush-faced mummy!"

"What are you two doing?" Lyra, who appears to be walking towards the dance floor with Bon Bon, asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Rainbow and I say simultaneously. I freeze, my heart pounding at the thought of being caught in such a compromising situation. I point my thumb over to Rainbow. "She started it."

"Did not!" Rainbow shoots back instantly.

"Let's just go already," Bon Bon said, dragging Lyra away while the latter jabbed a hoof at us in the universal "I'm watching you" gesture. The moment they're gone, Rainbow and I glare at one another.

"Snrk." Her expression is so comical that a chuckle forces its way out of my throat before I can stop it. Rainbow starts to snicker as well, her mirth growing in intensity until she's laughing out loud. I hide my amusement behind my hand. "Can we call a truce? I'd like to try some of that cider now."

"Truce? Nah, it was obvious who had the better insults." Rainbow sticks her tongue out and blows a raspberry, causing me to roll my eyes. She snickers again, but her amusement soon dissolves into a warm smile. "I'll be back! Two ciders, coming right up!"

I watch her as she turns tail and zips towards the counter. I suddenly realize with some shock that this is the first time I've laughed since coming to Equestria. I sigh, shaking my head. It felt good in the moment, but I shouldn't have let myself get sucked into something so juvenile.

I pause. A distant memory of a forgotten beach, where Amaryllis and I occasionally went to spend time together where no one else would find us, bubbles to the surface. I recall the way we would engage in conversations just like that. _Maybe I should just take it for what it is, and stop thinking so hard about it._

"Here!" Rainbow returns in the blink of an eye, slamming a filled mug onto the table in front of me, flecks of foam splattering on the wood. I flinch somewhat from her sudden reappearance. "Go on, you'll love it!"

I lift the mug, finding the handle much smaller than what I'm used to. Rainbow watches me intently as I take a tentative sip, finding the beverage to possess an earthy apple taste with a light hint of carbonation present. It's similar to regular apple juice, but not quite as sweet and with a much bolder aftertaste.

"Not bad. I can't see myself drinking it regularly, but it's not as unpleasant as I expected."

"Right!?" Rainbow has her own mug as well, and if the flecks of amber on her muzzle are anything to go by, she's already sampled plenty of it. "If you think this is good, you should try some when Applejack's family makes it! It's like you're drinking pure happiness."

Upon speaking those last two works, Rainbow's voice shakes and her tongue lolls out of her mouth. I eye her awkwardly; that's a funny—if not creepy—way of showing your appreciation for a drink.

"I'll take your word for it," I say as I casually sip from the mug. Two of us sip our cider and listen to the music in a comfortable silence. Eventually, it's just Rainbow and me at the table, as Flitter and Cloud Chaser hit the dance floor as well. "You know, you don't need to stay here for my sake. All your friends are out there dancing, and I know you like to dance."

"How do you know I'm not tired and just want to chill here?" Rainbow asks with a raised brow.

"You don't strike me as the type to stand on the sidelines in the middle of a party." I point out. "Besides, you're clearly just sitting here because you feel obligated to keep me company."

"Huh?" Rainbow looks perplexed by my answer; a perplexion that's quickly replaced by annoyance. "You're putting words in my mouth again. How do you know I'm not here because I want to be?"

"Rainbow, we've been sitting quiet for the past 5 minutes. And if there's anything I know about you, it's that you're not quiet. At all." I remark as I empty my mug.

"Hey, that's mean!" My jab at her personality earns me an indignant stare. "I just have a lot to say!"

"Except when you're sitting with me, apparently."

"Because you get all bent out of shape if I just say whatever!" Rainbow retorts. "You should try relaxing sometime! Do you know how to relax?"

"Of course I do," I stubbornly reply. "So are you going to leave or what?"

"No!" Rainbow stubbornly decides, crossing her hooves. She sees me glaring at her, so she decides to change tack. "Why don't you tell me how that guitar's working out for you?"

"That's…" I recall that she was there when I bought it. "It's a good instrument. The strings have seen better days, but it didn't require much maintenance to get working. I'll have to restring them soon, which means getting a set of tools to help me do that, such as a tuner, peg winder, some wire cutters…and judging by your face, you have no idea what goes into maintaining a guitar."

"Hey, it's not like Applejack ever plays the one she's got," Rainbow replies defensively. "Why don't you tell me about it, then?"

I open my mouth to explain, before deciding against it. "It'll bore the hell out of you."

"You don't know that," Rainbow points out with a huff. She ponders for a few seconds, tapping her chin with a hoof. "Hey, if it bores me, I'll turn it right around and bore you by talking about aerodynamics! Fair, right?"

"Talking about flying doesn't bore me. I just don't want to listen to you throwing your ego around," I say, causing Rainbow to make an unamused face at me. Yet her reasoning makes enough sense for me to concede to her view. "But if you really want to know, guitar strings are basically thin wires. To work with them, you need wire cutters and pliers so you can reshape them to whatever you need at that moment. The strings themselves are tethered to the pins at the top of the neck and anchored down below the bridge. Once you have them anchored, you fasten them to the neck and tighten them to get what we call the string's natural frequency..."

From there, it turns into a surprisingly refreshing conversation that didn't involve any personal questions or arguments; it's just a simple discussion of guitars. Although I can tell Rainbow doesn't understand a lot of the technical aspects of it, she remains engaged in the conversation—sometimes relating my descriptions of guitar maintenance to the physical maintenance she performs on her own body. She frustratingly still manages to slip in a boast about her own skill, but it proves no more than a simple annoyance.

The conversation makes me somewhat wistful. The only times I can remember having talks like this when the other party actually seemed to show genuine interest in what I had to say, was with Amaryllis or my brother.

When Rainbow excuses herself to the restroom during our conversation, it suddenly strikes me just how similar the mare seems to be to Amaryllis. She's tomboyish, rough, and has an unhealthy interest in physical activities. She even shares the same flippant attitude, albeit with none of the cynicism. I just wish there was some way to know what she's thinking; some way to know just what kind of person she is on the inside.

"Hey, Seth?" Yet, even as Rainbow is returning from her brief sojourn, it seems my conversation with her is at an end. A lavender hoof taps on my shoulder, gaining my attention. I turn my head to see a nervous Twilight. I don't recall seeing her at the bar yet, so she must have recently arrived. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure, pull up a seat! We've got plenty of room," Rainbow answers cheerfully before I have a chance.

"I'd love to, but...I meant in private. If that's alright with you both." Twilight looks even more nervous, the mare unable to even meet my gaze. My spirits sink even further; considering my track record with Twilight as well as her general demeanor, there's a high chance the following conversation will be more personal than I'd like. "Please?"

"Tch, whatever. Let's just get it over with." I finish my cider and get up from my seat. Getting away from her would be an exercise in futility; even if I refused, past experience suggests that if a unicorn really wants to talk, they have ways of forcing you to listen. "Lead the way."

"Alright, I'll be here. Don't take too long!" Rainbow says, the mare rising from the table and eyeing the dance floor with an eager glint in her eye.

"I'll try not to," Twilight assures her. She gives me a forced smile and beckons towards the door leading outside. Without a word, I follow her out into the street. I shiver and button up my coat to protect myself from the rapidly chilling air. Hopefully, I'm not out here for too long. "So...I'm sorry for pulling you out of there, but I haven't had a chance to talk since Friday…"

"If all you wanted was to talk, you could have done that inside." I have a bad feeling that I know precisely about what she wishes to talk. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't waste my time beating around the bush."

"Okay." Twilight takes a breath and looks at me with renewed determination. "I wanted to talk about what you said on Thursday."

My eyes harden at that. "Twilight, that wouldn't be pleasant for either of us. How about we forget that you ever brought it up?"

"We can't just pretend it never happened!" Twilight insists despite my tone. She opens her mouth as if to argue the point further, but then she sighs. This is the most defeated I've seen her. "Seth, I never wanted to get to this point with you."

"What point?"

"The point where we will end up fighting every time we talk. The point where you look at me like my presence is an unwelcome disturbance." Twilight looks back up at me. "I know you've been through a lot I can't understand, but I _want_ to be a friend to you. Hearing you blame all of us for where you are right now, it hurts."

I stare back at her, no words coming to mind. Once again, a pony refuses to cut me off, in spite of how intentionally easy I've made it for her. I don't believe I've ever said anything as brutal as I did to Twilight that day, yet here she is standing before me. I search my memories for similar encounters with humans but I come up empty.

"I don't know what you want me to say," I admit after a long silence. "It is what it is. If it weren't for ponies, I wouldn't be here. Did you call me out here to hear me say that again?"

"I called you out here to tell you that you're wrong. It isn't our fault that you're here." Twilight furrows her brow and gazes back at me with determination. "It was King Sombra's, and his alone. Words can't express how sorry I am that this has happened to you, but I can't watch you make yourself miserable and push everypony away for such a fallacious reason."

"That's…!" Fury fills me up from within, a hundred different rebuttals for that statement coming to mind. "I wouldn't be here if you all had just stopped him in the first place! It's just as much your fault as his! I'm here because your kind failed to do the job!"

"That's not fair either! I have absolute faith that the princesses did everything they could. They're not omniscient; they couldn't have possibly known what he was planning to do to you." Twilight leaped to the defense of the diarchy in an instant. "In the end, they made sure he got what was coming to him."

"Not soon enough…" I grumble.

"Seth. You can't blame any of the ponies around here for Sombra's actions." Twilight repeated. "He existed generations ago, long before any of us were born. There is nothing any of us could have done. Please understand that."

"It doesn't really matter what I think of you anyway," I say, unable to care about pushing this point further. "So what, you called me out here so you can clear your conscience?"

"No, I called you out here because I'm worried about you. I don't want to see you alone and in pain, because you've been holding that inside all this time." Twilight expresses, a hoof pressed against her chest.

Another wave of bitterness passes through me. Twilight always jumps to conclusions without having all the information. "That's hardly the only reason," I scoff.

"It's not? Then what is the other reason?" Twilight appears confused. Despite the question hanging in the air, I can't bring myself to answer it. Those five years of my life hold too many painful memories...and I'm not about to share them. I regret bringing it up in the first place. "You won't answer? I don't understand. Why don't you want friends? Don't you want someone to whom you can relate? Someone with whom you can laugh and smile? _Don't you get lonely?"_

"Stop. Just stop." I tell her, pressing my hands against my face. There was one person I knew that could do any of that, and she was one in a million. "I don't want to hear it. Why do you ponies try so hard? It's so much easier just to ignore me and do your own thing, isn't it? Go prance off with your 'friends' into the sunset, for all I care. Just leave me be."

"Do you think friendship is easy?" Twilight pointed out with a hint of incredulity. "No friendship worth having is easy to forge, and it'll never happen if I give up now."

"You're tenacious, I'll give you that," I remark in annoyance. I'm so used to people giving up after the second time they yell at me, and past that, trying to tear me down. "But you shouldn't be so willing to run around throwing out the word 'friendship' like candy either. It's insulting that you think you're going to change who I am or the way I think just from a few kind words."

"I don't necessarily agree with that. The part about giving friendship out, I mean. If my friends hadn't offered their hooves out to me in my moment of need, I don't know where I'd be right now," Twilight admits. "I'll admit I know nothing about the life you've led up until this point, but it sounds like you need something more than token kindness...some way for us to prove that we're not reaching out our hooves to you out of malice."

"You make it sound so simple, but that's the long and short of it. I still don't see why you care." I watch her reason through my words, unsure what to think about her. Yelling at them or pushing them away only seems to drive them harder. "Why the obsession with friendship anyway? You'd think as an avid reader, you'd find them to be an unwelcome distraction at best and a downright annoyance at worst."

"It's funny you say that." Twilight gives a sheepish giggle. "I used to believe that, not too long ago. But ultimately, friends are nice to have, and I discovered it's possible to have just as much fun with them as I do learning."

"Provided they're the genuine thing," I grumble. I can't deny the fun I had with Amaryllis, but I refuse to believe any of these ponies could do for me what she did.

"Yes, but that's something you discover by talking with and learning about them," Twilight reasons. "It never occurred to me that someone could have such a differing view of friendship than we do. If you believe our efforts are nothing more than lip service, then everything we've done to try to help you likely just comes off as trite and pointless."

"Finally. One of you has managed to get that through your thick skulls. It's only what I've been saying since the moment I met you." I suppose Rainbow also gets it, but she just plain doesn't care. "Now that you do get it, please stop trying."

"Nope," Twilight remarks, causing me to groan. "You may not want to tell me why you're so skeptical of the ponies you meet, but that's okay. I'll prove that our gestures of kindness harbor no ill intent."

"I really don't get you," I helplessly express. If I were in her place, and someone like me moved into town, I wouldn't even bother to ask their name, much less try to befriend them. "Clearly I can't stop you; knock yourself out, I guess. I wouldn't expect anything to come of it though other than wasted time."

"Thank you! Just the chance to try is more than enough." Twilight beams at my answer. "I didn't mean to keep you so long. I'll let you get back to your party. I have a lot to think about, and a lot to plan!"

"Please don't make me regret this," I say, wincing.

"Don't worry, I won't!" Twilight promises me as she starts to leave. She gives me one last smile and a wave. "You have a good night, Seth. Thank you for talking to me."

"Whatever." When she's gone, I stare after her for several moments, and then I walk back inside the bar, mulling over her words in my head.

* * *

When I get back inside, the music is winding down, and ponies are starting to leave for the night. I can only assume the gig is over, so I make my way to Vinyl and prepare to help her pack up her equipment.

"You have a good night, Seth!" Flitter waves to me as she and Cloud Chaser make their way out of the bar. Lyra wishes me the same, as she and Bon Bon tag along behind. I don't acknowledge them with much other than a nod. After talking with Twilight, I just want to be alone to think.

When I reach the stage, I find Rainbow chatting with Vinyl as the latter is unplugging the cables from her turntables. "...too long. You wanna hang out some more tonight? Hope you're not too tired!" Rainbow offers with a grin.

"You know I'm still good to go! Maybe just...without using any more magic. Whew," Vinyl wipes her brow with a hoof, mirroring Rainbow's grin. They see me approach, and Vinyl waves wearily. "There you are. Was just about to send Rainbow out to go find you!"

"Yeah, she's good at that." I retort with a wry expression, the sardonicism practically dripping from my voice.

"Everything cool?" Vinyl tilts her head. I give her an odd stare in return. I don't know why she'd ask; I don't think I'm presenting myself any differently than normal. I don't miss Rainbow's concerned look either.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't it be?" I return uncomfortably. "Let's just get all this packed up so we can go home."

"Works for me. Also, I gotta pay you for the work." Vinyl produces five bits and hands them to me, increasing my total to thirteen. "Now let's get packing. Oh yeah, do you care if Rainbow tags along?"

"It's your house, not mine." I shrug, not knowing why she bothered to ask me in the first place. If they want to hang out, it's not my business.

"Awesome! I'll get some cider to bring back, and we'll chillax together!" Rainbow gives me a nudge, and then she flies back to the bartender before the bar fully closes. I ignore her, having no intention to join their "chillaxing."

"C'mere. This time, I'll have you start with the cords…" Vinyl starts, and then the two of us get to work.

* * *

"And...we're in. Phew. Break out that cider, Dash, cuz when I hit that couch, I'm not getting back up." Vinyl parks the cart with all her equipment into the nearest open spot, and then she proceeds to throw herself on the couch without much decorum and close her eyes. "Aaah...this is the high life."

"What about dinner?" I remind her, my stomach gurgling at the mention of food. Vinyl's eyes open wide and she groans.

"Aw, shoot, I forgot. Nyaaah, I don't wanna get up!" Vinyl rolls off of the couch with a thump and lays there on the floor for several seconds before she gets back to her hooves. Rainbow promptly steals her spot and curls up there. "Dash, you sneaky little pigeon."

"Hah, you snooze, you lose!" Rainbow sticks her tongue out at her friend. She then does a double take. "Did you just call me a pigeon!?"

"I might've. What are you gonna do about it? If you get up, you gotta give up your spot. Then who knows, maybe Seth will steal it." Vinyl teases as she walks into the kitchen.

"Agh, you're right! Don't you even think about stealing my spot!" Rainbow gives me an accusing stare, but it quickly turns into confusion when I don't answer or even look at her. I'm gazing down at the floor, tuning out the world around me. "Seth? You in there somewhere?"

"What?" I demand irritably, causing her to flinch. It takes me a moment for me to process what the two of them have been talking about. "No, I couldn't care less. I'm just waiting for dinner."

"Did something happen while you were out there with Twilight?" Rainbow asks curiously.

"Nothing worth talking about." I dismiss her question with a shake of my head. "Don't mind me. You're here to chill with Vinyl, anyway."

"With both of you, actually." Rainbow corrects me. I raise an eyebrow at that.

"Whatever."

* * *

After a painfully long wait, the smell of vegetables and spices fills the air as Vinyl serves me a bowl of hot stew. It's an interesting flavor; can't say I've tasted anything similar.

Rainbow and Vinyl are having fun, laughing and joking with one another over the course of the meal. Every now and then they attempt to include me into their conversation, but I either ignore their efforts or reply with simple nods or shrugs. One would think they'd give up trying after the first few times, but whatever floats their boat.

"How long are you staying?" I interrupt their conversation, my bowl resting empty on the table in front of me.

"Who, me?" Rainbow asks, clueless. I give her an incredulous look.

"No, the mouse on your shoulder," I sarcastically reply. Rainbow Dash falls off the table with a yelp, trying to get rid of the nonexistent mouse. I blink, as Vinyl proceeds to laugh her tail off. Did she really just take that seriously?

"Hey, there's no mouse!" Rainbow realizes at last, and she gets up and looks at me accusingly.

"Of course not! I was talking to you!" I shake my head, wondering if this pony is for real.

"Then why did you say you weren't?"

"I didn't realize I was talking to an imbecile." Rainbow throws a balled up napkin at me, not appreciating the insult. "But the question still stands. How long are you staying?"

"Oh yeah! So I'm crashing here tonight. I don't really feel like flying up to my house." Rainbow answers. She glances at Vinyl. "That cool?"

"Always. If you don't mind sleeping on my couch," Vinyl returns, before looking back at me. "That's not an issue, is it?"

"It's your house," I repeat. I get up from the table, taking the chance to excuse myself. "I'm going to bed. You two have fun."

"You sure you don't want to stick around? You're welcome to," Vinyl offers. I just make for the stairs, acknowledging her offer with little more than a shake of my head.

I ascend the stairs and tread back to my room, cutting off the outside world at long last. The silence falls over me like a comforting blanket as I'm finally granted the solitude I desire. After undressing myself, I climb into bed and stretch myself out, a deep exhale escaping me.

It has been one roller coaster of a day, and I'm both physically and mentally exhausted. In college, it wasn't unusual for days to pass without anything eventful of which to speak, the hours blending together and passing like a flash. It was so easy to shut off my mind and go through the motions; move from one class to another, complete my assignments, and study for my tests.

That line of thought gives me pause as my conversations with Rainbow come back to me. _Going through a routine with barely any changes...how utterly inhuman of me._ It's obvious that it would be easier to go from day to day without having to think. Now, every new day means a slew of new encounters that I clearly can't just wave away or ignore. _I wonder if I would've been happy living the rest of my life like that, not worrying about what comes next._

That line of thought reminds me of the most recent encounter with Twilight outside of the bar.

 _"Don't you get lonely?"_

Her words run on loop in my head over and over. I turn over to the other side, staring at the plain plaster wall. My mind searches my past experiences to come up with counterpoints to her question, but I come up with scant few. Typically I was able to get through my downtime by reading or playing games, but after I met Amaryllis, I often thought ahead during my downtime to the next time I could see her.

Damn you, Twilight. I hate to admit it, but there's a ring of truth to her words. Now that Amaryllis is gone...I can't look forward to sitting with her at our spot outside the science building. I can't look forward to going on trips with her during our rare breaks from classes. I can't even look forward to one day showing her the music that I practiced. Is it even worth practicing music without someone I care about to show the fruits of my efforts? I miss her more than I can put into words; if that's the same thing as loneliness, Twilight is right. But I can't just make new friends like Rainbow suggested, either. It's just not worth taking that chance.

I take a deep breath, feelings of frustration welling up from within. Why is it that everyone has to be so shallow or untrustworthy? Why can't I just have Amaryllis back, the only one that I could trust with everything I had?

Amaryllis always told me that I had to give people a chance to screw up first, but I can't bring myself to heed her words. Ever since that time in grade school, I knew that road led nowhere. But without Amaryllis or any guarantee that those with whom I interact are genuine, how can I possibly stave away this pain I feel?

"Hey Seth, you still up?" Rainbow suddenly makes her way into my room, nosing the door open. I'm undressed, so I immediately cover myself up the rest of the way with the blankets.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" I demand irritably.

"The door was unlocked." Rainbow shrugs nonchalantly. "Anyway, what's up? You seemed a little off down there."

"That's what you barged in here to talk about? Forget it, it's nothing. I'm sure you were having fun downstairs, so don't let me stop you." I sigh with annoyance, casting my gaze towards the ceiling. Despite my words, I see Rainbow Dash sitting down and closing the door. "Rainbow, that's the exact opposite of what I just said."

"Maybe." Rainbow smirks at me. "Really though. Why do you always clam up right after you have any kind of fun?"

"Is there any chance you'll go away and not press me for answers?"

"No."

"You are the single most annoying individual I think I've ever met." Not even Amaryllis was this nosy. She would never pry… only call me out whenever I was being an idiot. "You literally stand to gain nothing from interacting with me at all."

"And how does being alone all the time gain you anything either?" Rainbow shoots back without missing a beat. "No harm in chilling every now and then, right?"

"You have no idea." The amount of certainty in my voice causes Rainbow to recoil. She looks like she wants to ask, but I don't feel like telling her about how all the times letting my guard down came back to bite me in the end. "Relax. I've just been thinking, and I needed some time to sort my thoughts."

"Bit for them?" Rainbow requests. I look at her in confusion before I realize that she essentially used a pony version of that old British saying. _As many questions as that raises_ , I guess it wouldn't hurt too much to share my thoughts. I've already spoken to her about it once before. "You know, I'm just gonna crash here if you ignore me."

"No, you're not! There's so much wrong with that I don't even know where to start. Is that even proper for a pony to suggest?" I immediately push back on that idea, appalled. Rainbow starts to snicker at that for some reason. "What are you laughing at?"

"You sound so much like Rarity right now," Rainbow points out. She straightens up and twirls a hoof in her mane, leaving a tiny loop in it. "Oh, pish posh, darling. A mare and a stallion sleeping together in the same room? What impropriety! How scandalous!" she says in an uncannily accurate imitation of Rarity.

I stare at her for a few seconds, and then just like before, a snort of amusement escapes me. I could definitely see Rarity saying something like that.

"Didn't know you had a talent for impressions," I say with the faintest traces of a smirk.

"Right, so you wanna share now?" Rainbow persists as she shakes her head to reset her mane back to its usual unruly appearance. "Did Twilight say something to you after all?"

"Yes, but that's not entirely it. I've just been...reflecting." I lay back on the bed, resigning myself to my fate. I've learned by that it's impossible to get rid of Rainbow if she doesn't want to go. "Like about the world I've left behind...and what would have come of me had I stayed."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Rainbow asks, tilting her head.

"It goes back to what we talked about at the farm. Except I was wondering if I would have made it once I was finished with school." I start to explain. "Everyone talked about how we should figure out what we wanted, or about how we should have ambition. A dream to follow, so to speak."

"Didn't you say you wanted to do something with music?" Rainbow recalls.

"I may be aiming in that direction now, but only because you told me I should." I remind her. "It's the same as it was back then. I went to college because I was told there was no way to be competitive in the job market if I didn't. I was pursuing a degree in computers because it's what I was told made the most money. I didn't derive any enjoyment from it, nor was I following some dream."

"I don't get it." Rainbow just seems confused by my words. "So what are you worried about?"

"Just that I shouldn't rely on people to figure out what I want to do," I say with a shake of a head. It doesn't surprise me that she doesn't get it. I hardly get it myself. "How can I be sure this is the right path I'm on if you had to tell me to follow it?"

"Uh, in case you forgot, you came up with the music idea on your own." Rainbow reminds me. I blink, and then I think back to that particular conversation. I brought it up then because it was something I enjoyed. "I didn't tell you to like music. I just lent a hoof, as a friend would do!"

"Right…a friend..." I suppose it's true she only pushed me in the right direction. I wish she would stop calling herself my friend, however. I stare at her confident face, wishing more than anything that I could read her mind. This could be another trap laced with honey, like the one I fell into so long ago.

"Do you still not believe me?" Rainbow asks indignantly.

"Of course I don't. It takes more than a few words and sticking to me like glue to convince me." I return instantly. "I think there's something you're not getting. Let me break it down for you; I don't like other people. That includes ponies."

"What? So you mean it's not just us you don't trust? It's everyone?" Rainbow asks incredulously. When I nod, she starts to look exasperated. "How can someone not like anyone? What about that friend you mentioned?"

"An exception to the rule. Yet, the concept of a rule means that there are few exceptions, if any," I tell her earnestly. Rainbow starts to get frustrated. "Look. I'll admit you've done more than most. You saved my life, though the jury is still out on whether that was for better or worse. But from my experience, people are selfish and untrustworthy, myself included. Because I know this, it's safer not to get involved… and the same goes for you."

"That's...really lame. So you'd rather hide rather than meet all these cool ponies that could be exceptions?" Rainbow challenges me.

"You wanted my thoughts, so I gave them. If sharing them just means I'm going to be insulted, I'm not going to bother anymore." I tell her irritably.

"I...I guess that's fair…" Rainbow backs down, despite her clear dissatisfaction with what she just heard. "So...how do I become an exception?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be worth anything. I still don't know why you're putting in so much effort," I say, shaking my head in disbelief. I choose not to mention that even I don't know the answer to her question. "But enough about this. I'm tired, and I'm pretty sure Vinyl is waiting impatiently for you."

"Yeah, probably," Rainbow admits. She stands back up and moves towards the door. Just as I'm starting to think our conversation has ended, she looks back just as she steps into the hall. "You wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"I'm sure you'll find me even if I said no," I grunt, shifting on the bed so I'm staring back at the ceiling. I don't hear her leave, causing me to sigh. "Fine. As long as I don't get roped into anything silly."

"Come on, you'll be with me, so it'll be awesome!" Rainbow boasts. At last, she shuts the door, leaving me in solitude. "Good night, Seth!"

With that, I'm left in a quiet room once again. In the end, that conversation didn't solve anything apart from getting Rainbow off my back. Between her and Twilight, I'm quickly becoming driven into a corner. I have literally never met anyone who's tried so hard to understand the way I think before.

As I drift off to sleep, one conclusion makes its home in my mind; at some point, I'll either have to accept their presence around me, or I'll have to let them know once and for all that they can't squeeze water from a stone.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

*chop chop chop chop* Huh? Oh don't mind me, I'm just cutting scenes like nobody's business. This is the point where the story would be most affected by me cutting away Seth's blowup at Pinkie. Instead, his relationship with Twilight is going in a completely different direction than in the original. I'm not sure how that'll turn out just yet, but I'm enjoying the ride to get there. So instead of a bunch of pointless nonsense, I decided to write a lot of introspective dialogue and interactions with the other characters.

Anyway, it shouldn't be more than one or two chapters before I reach the climax of this particular book. From there, I have plenty of plans and scenes I intend to add to enrich the experience for whatever readers are still here since the beginning.

As always, please thank Brave Hooves and Hellslinger for their efforts in editing. Especially Hellslinger, who practically had to keep tugging on the lead to keep me from posting before he was done. And please leave me some reviews to let me know what you think of my changes!


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